A Place with Light
by jazz502
Summary: Completed! Part newbie fic.. Part S&S. Zany, sometimes psychotic new characters.. crazy situations.. It all takes place in a place where the darkness that surrounds you is just your imagination - a Place with Light - a little place called Mount Horizon..
1. Arrival

Author's Note: A warning, before you begin this fic. ;) It's weird. Lol.. I'm not kidding. I originally wrote a story, some 7k words long and split it into 7 chapters, and that was the end of it. But then I kept continuing to write it. Next thing I know, I have over 40 chapters, lol. The storylines are everywhere. But a lot of them only get started late in the story. When I first began writing APWL, I didn't really have a story in mind after the original 7 chapters. But it's now, part newbie fic, part romance, part angst, part everything. There's love, revenge, betrayal, lies, gold-diggers, bizarre revelations, deceit, scheming, redemption, injustice, death... It's crazy. But it really only gets started with the S&S storyline.. Which is crazy, btw. This whole story is crazy. It goes up, and down, and up again, at back down at a breakneck pace. 

In actuality, I started this fic before I'd even seen the entire season of HG. I'd seen most of it, but not those last, great episodes. So there's a lot of inconsistencies with the original season, and mine. In APWL, it's the Cliffhangers' second years at Horizon, the next season type thing. But Kat's still here. And Scott has kept his secret about Elaine from everyone but Shelby, and the counsellors.. And there's a couple other things.

I hate my first several chapters. I'm thinking of completely rewriting them altogether. I would, except that it would take way too long. I had no idea what I was doing when I first began this fic. But, oh well. :) Whatever. 

There's a lot of swearing. One of my characters seemingly can't speak without littering their speech with profanities. There's a lot of.. Interesting situations. My pg-13 rating may be a bit generous. Late in the story, it becomes very soap-opera-esque. My characters are really extreme.. ;) There's a couple chapters where practically every character is miserable. There's one hell of a lot of themes, and questions asked. 

  
  


Thanks! -Jazz

  
  


* * *

A blue Mercedes sped off into the day, following a dirt road in the wilderness and isolation of the mountainside. 

"Erika.."

"Mom, I don't care! I don't want to hear it! What the fuck is up with you today? First you frickin kidnap me, throw me into the car and then you actually expect me to look at you without puking, let alone TALK to you! And I'M the one getting help?!" the teenager raged, shaking her head defiantly.

"I'm your mother, don't you dare speak to me that way!" The car abruptly stopped. The driver, an average-looking blond woman had stopped the car and turned to face her daughter. Erika met her gaze defiantly, expectantly. "What kind of choice did you leave me?!" The car began again. "With the way you were acting, you were practically BEGGING for this! I thought I could control you, thought I could get you back on track.. Look, this Mount Horizon's supposed to be a great school, got a great reputation."

"Don't you get it? I don't give a fuck! You're abandoning me, guess I was too much for you to handle. So you just gave up, decided one day, hey I'll go dump my daughter off at some school for screw ups and I'll be done with her. Hallelujah! That's what you were thinking, wasn't it, mother?! Not that I give a shit. You're not apart of my life. Never were. Liked to pretend you were, though, in our perfect little family."

"Hey, Mr Claypool," the teenager's daughter said to a large African American man who worked for Horizon and had helped her daughter into the Mercedes, sitting beside her now to assure she wouldn't make a brake for it, and had handcuffed her hands, "Think you can bind her mouth as well?"

The heavily muscled man just chuckled. "Sorry, didn't bring the duct tape along with me."

"You just can't bear to hear the truth. What a lousy excuse for a mother."

"Every time you open your mouth, the less I can wait to be rid of you! You won't be my problem anymore!" The driver raged. "I never thought I'd have to say that to my own daughter." she continued, muttering.

"You're making a mistake, you're just weak, can't handle me. I don't belong there!"

"The only mistake I made was not taking you there earlier."

Roger Claypool stared off into the scenery through the car window, very familiar with the kind of conversation that was ensuing. He had heard it many times before, transporting other kids to Mount Horizon. None of them were much different than Erika, and with the progress they had made with the other kids, he was sure she could be helped too, in time. This was just the beginning...  
  


* * *

Peter Scarbrow flicked open the blinds to his office as he heard the sound of a car approaching. He had anticipating a new admit today by the name of Erika Lavalier, he figured it was her and Dave Claypool pulling up now in the blue Mercedes. Another teen, another lost soul he would try to reach. He had checked her file minutes before, and had not been shocked at what he had found. She was a 16 year old truant, a drug user, and hostile towards everyone around her with a vicious temper. She was an only child, raised by her single mother, but had somehow gotten off the wrong track, it had said, he recalled. He watched though the window as her mother, alongside Dave, exited from the car. It was about a parent's worst nightmare, to have no other option than to bring your child here. And it was his job, to make sure these kids got back on that right track. 

Peter jogged out towards the school's entrance.

"Mrs Lavalier?" he said, putting out his hand to the girl's mother, a tall blond woman who looked to have aged well. "I'm Peter Scarbrow, the headmaster of Horizon."

"Oh, thank god. You've got a real piece of work in there," she said, motioning to the blue Mercedes.

"We'll take good care of her, Mrs Lavalier," Peter assured her.

"Thank you. I've run out of options." The woman threw her hands into the air in exasperation. "Just driving her here was a nightmare. I just don't know what to do with Erika anymore. Her life has spun out of control these past months, and I no longer have the motivation, or patience to help her. I don't even know what went wrong! She's beyond my help, I hope you can reach out to her."

"I can promise you that we'll do our best."

"Thank you, once again. I must be a really horrible parent, having to resort to bringing her here, or, rather 'kidnapping her', as she claims I did."

"Mrs Lavalier, unless you have reason to, you shouldn't blame Erika's being here on yourself, there are so many other factors to take into account. We'll take good care of her, do what we can, try to turn her life around."

"Thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done otherwise."

"So when did Erika's behaviour take a turn for the worse?"

"I don't know, I'd say around June. She's always been a manipulative girl, don't you be fooled by her." she said. "But it gradually just got worse, inexplicably. Her grades plunged, she started skipping school, even taking drugs! I don't know what to do with her! She won't even engage herself in a conversation that's remotely civilized! She lashes out at people, has quite the temper. She just has no respect! That's the trouble with today's youth, they don't have any respect." 

Peter listened to the woman's rambling thoughtfully. "Was there any dramatic changes in her life at the time she stated acting out? Any traumas?"

The woman shrugged. "None that come to mind. You'll have a clear perception of her and her problems as soon as you meet her. She's rather extraordinary."

The woman advanced towards the Mercedes and opened a front door. "Mr Scarbrow, this is Erika."

The car door opened to a tall, broad-shouldered and lean girl. Her hair was a bright blond, upswept into a simple ponytail. Her facial features were well proportioned, but angular and sharp. Her eyebrows were an angular thin line of hair. Her ears were pierced entirely, with a multitude of silver hoops dangling from them. She also wore a silver chin stud. She was attired in loose, dark, baggy jeans and a solid black tank top, with silver chains protruding at various locations of her clothes. Her makeup was dark and dramatic. Her skin tone was fair, Peter guessing that blond was her natural hair colour given the fairness of her skin, and she contrasted it with dark, smokey eyeshadow and heavily lined her green eyes. My fingernails were short-cropped, with black nail polish chipping at the edges. As Peter opened the car door, she didn't even look at him, resting her gaze firmly ahead.

"Erika?" Peter asked.

The girl merely stared at the speaker, seemingly disinterestedly. 

"I'm Peter Scarbrow, welcome to Mount Horizon, I'm the headmaster here."

Erika stifled a smile. "Yeah? Well tell me why I should give a fuck."

"Erika! Would it kill you to be nice for once?!" her mother said, exasperated. 

Peter's gaze drifted to Erika's mother. Yes, she had been right, he thought, this girl was going to be a piece of work. 

"Would you mind stepping out and joining us? This is all about you, there's a reason."

Erika hopped out of the Mercedes, looking thoroughly amused. She met Peter's gaze defiantly, nerved. "So now what, huh? You gonna try to get into my head, change me back to that perfect girl I used to be? You're wasting your time." 

"We can't dwell on the past, I know that, Erika. What my job is is to change your future, not your past."

Erika turned to her mom. "Thanks mom," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Looks like I'm gonna have a blast here!"

"You might think you have it hard now, Erika, dealing with people who won't put up with your crap, people who want to help you, but you've earned it."

"I earned it?" Erika sounded incredulous. "You're the one who raised me. The choices I make now are the result of your fabulous parenting."

Peter stepped in. "Why don't you go inside, Erika? Dave will escort you in, you're scheduled for a pre-admittance physical, and your bags will be searched. Sophie, that's one of the counsellors, will put you into a dorm. Any last words you two want to share?"

"You'll get better here. Better off here than with me. You would never answer me. Never talked. Goodbye Erika." the elder Lavalier said, blowing a kiss and a wistful final glance at her daughter, and began towards the Mercedes. 

Erika smirked. "Goodbye dearest mother," she said, her tone sarcastic and mocking, and she blew a meaningless kiss towards her mother. Disgusted with her daughter's unserious tone, Mrs Lavalier trudged into the Mercedes and sped away, away from her daughter, away from those problems. 


	2. Sanctuary

Peter Scarbrow engaged himself in the tedious task of searching Erika's bags. 

"Did you use today?" he asked as he went through her belongings, assuring they didn't contain something destructive.

Erika looked away from him. "So what if I did? What's it to you?"

"Erika, this is my job. I'm trying to help you, you can make it easier on the both of us if you'd just let me."

"I don't need help. I don't need anybody! I can help myself just fine."

"You can't live shut out like that."

"Well it's my fuckin' life. You know this is really lame, and a serious waste of time. You can't brake me."

Peter listened to what she had to say. "Let me ask you something, Erika. Are you happy with your life now? Do you like the direction it's taking?" after she failed to respond, he continued. "The rules here are simple. There's no drugs, no sex, no inappropriate touching and no violence. The key to horizon is that it's a safe place. It's a place where you can go to take a break from all that crap that's going on outside in your life and learn to feel what you really feel. Anything you say to me or tell me or one of the other counsellors stays between us unless you give me permission to say it to others. The only exception is if I suspect violence towards others or self-destructive behaviour, and then I'm bound by law to notify outside authorities. Any questions?"

"Yeah, why aren't there any bars on the windows? This is a school for the fucked-up youth isn't it?"

"It's a sanctuary, Erika, not a jail. There's no fences, no gates, and especially nowhere to run. You're 25 miles from the closest town. To get there, especially at night, you've got to make your way through a forest you've never seen before in the dark, fighting off carnivores the size of minivans, so if you're even thinking about it, don't bother. And by the way, profanity isn't tolerated here either." Peter said, looking over at his newest admit. 

Erika seemed to merely brush aside his words. "What, I'm supposed to care? I live on my own terms."

"And what's that?"

"It doesn't include you."

Peter stopped a moment what he was doing. "Erika- do you understand why you're here?" he asked. 

"Why am I here? Because I refuse to take crap from my sorry-ass excuse for a mother and my sorry-ass excuse for a father. Because I refuse to take crap from anyone. And I refuse to take crap from you. I'm never going to be walked on. No one's EVER going to take advantage of me.. not like.." her voice dimmed. 

"Go on." Peter urged. 

"There's nothing more to tell! Why won't you let me be my own person?! This is who I am. You want to weaken me. You want to brake me. It's not going to happen. You're wasting your time, every minute you spend with me. How many times do I have to tell you before it registers?!" 

"Maybe until you convince me that you're right. Do you honestly believe the direction you're taking is healthy? You didn't answer me the last time."

Erika held a blank stare. 

Peter went back to searching Erika's bags, convinced he wouldn't get anything out of Erika just now. "If ever you want to talk, I'll be right here," he said. "It's time for your physical. When you're finished, since the cliffhangers on currently on a quest, I'll get Sophie to show you around, and to your dorm. I'm assigning you to the Cliffhanger's group. Sophie will be your counsellor."

* * *

  
  


"I can't believe my fuckin' mom resorted to bringing me here," Erika said to Sophie as the counsellor gave her a tour of the campgrounds. "She's always held me back. This place looks more like a campsite than a rehab. And I guess it was intentional to completely isolate this place off from the rest of the world." 

"That's right," responded Sophie, a tall woman with shoulder-length blond hair and piercing, crystal blue eyes. "It's located where nothing else can affect you. There's nothing but mountains surrounding this place."

"Picturesque, but completely pointless. We can't isolate our feelings where we're shipped back off to the real world."

"Maybe not, but it's a great harbour for now, when you're just regaining control of your life. There's no distractions here, just mountains." 

"That's so lame. "

"You've got something better?"

"Maybe I do."

The two had reached the Cliffhanger girl's cabin. Sophie opened the door for her new admit. "You'll be expected to keep this space clean," she explained as they walked through the doorway. The room was empty, but roomy. There was a row of beds lined in identical ruby-red bedspreads. The room was void of anything extravagant or striking, but plain and warm.

"I've assigned your bunk number three, over here."

Erika threw her bags on her assigned bed, and subsequently sat down. "Now what?"

"Now you'll have some supervised quiet time and just get accustomed to this place."

"Are you kidding me, supervised quiet time?! What are you on?"

"I'm dead serious, Erika. The cliffhangers should be returning soon, and I'll assign one of them to be your first-week buddy."

"Yeah, whatever."


	3. Hostile

After a few hours of intense boredom, Erika had picked up a book and began reading it, draped over her bunk. Some time later, a slender girl with long brown hair and big brown eyes burst into the dorm. She looked tired, and her hair was in disarray. Erika guessed she had just returned from the hike. The girl immediately noticed the unfamiliar figure in her dorm and throwing her bag on her bunk, she bounced to Erika's side. 

"Hey, are you the newbie?" she squealed, her voice overflowing with energy. She wore an impossibly large smile. Erika wondered what this impossibly happy girl was doing here, or what she herself was doing there for that matter.

"Yeah," was the only response Erika bothered to supply. Her eyes had momentarily drifted from the pages of her book to the bubbly brunette, but they soon drifted back to the pages disinterestedly.

"I'm Juliette," the brunette continued, plopping down on Erika's bed beside her. "I'm your first-week buddy. What's your name?"

"Erika," she responded, not glancing up at her, her eyes remained fixed on the pages.

"So what'd they bust you for?"

Erika glanced back to Juliette, but not for long.

"Drugs, cutting, what?" the brunette asked casually.

"Don't you have better things to do?"

Juliette stared at Erika quizzically. But despite that Erika refused to answer her, her mouth kept moving, oblivious. 

"So you're in the Cliffhangers huh? The others are pretty cool, except this girl Shelby who's just mean. But you'll meet the gang soon." Juliette smiled. A pause of silence. "Okay, I guess I'll leave you to your reading. I gotta clean myself up, I was just on a hike with the other Cliffhangers. They'll be back here soon too. It was a short hike, thankfully, but still. I know it's a bit weird when you first come here, but you get used to it." Juliette bounced off Erika's bunk, smiling and went to her own, a few beds away from Erika's.

Juliette took out a brush and walked into the bathroom, admiring herself in the mirror as she washed her face and brushed through her long brown hair. 

"Hey, Juliette."

Juliette poked her head out of the bathroom at the sound of Erika's voice. 

"Yeah, do you need something?" she asked.

"Just wanted to know- what are the guys like here?"

Juliette grinned and tossed her brush back onto her bunk. She bounced over to Erika's bunk once again.

"Want a run-down of the Cliffhanger guys before you meet them?"

"Okay, whatever."

"Okay well there's Auggie, and he's this Latino boy, and he's really cute. He's real good at like graffiti and art and stuff."

"What's he here for?"

"Oh he was in a gang and all this stuff. Could have gone to juvie but chose Horizon instead." A pause. "And then there's Scott. He's this guy, still kinda new here. He's really into sports and stuff. Supposedly this amazing football player. That's all you need to know about him, all I know is that he got into drugs and stuff.

"And then there's this guy Ezra. No comment on him." Juliette giggled. 

"That's it?"

"Yup. You'll meet them soon, I think group's soon."

After the response, Erika shrugged and went back to reading. Juliette bounced back to her bunk and picked up the brush lying on her bed. 

Just then, the door burst open.

"Juliette?"

Erika looked up at the speaker. Tall, athletically built, blond spiked hair. This must be Scott, she thought. Just then he shifted his gaze to her. 

"You the newbie?" he asked.

Erika merely nodded, disinterested, her eyes drifting back to the pages of her book.

"What do you need, Scott?" piped in Juliette.

"Group's in twenty minutes. Just giving you two a heads up."

"Oh, thanks!" Juliette squealed.

Scott smiled at her and Erika and subsequently left.

"That was Scott," Juliette told Erika, coming over to her once again.

"I figured that out. What the hell is 'group'?" 

"Oh, just this like, meeting thing of the Cliffhangers and we open up and stuff. Peter usually just like asks us how we feel and stuff like that."

"Sounds exciting," Erika said, more to herself than to Juliette.

"So you're gonna meet the rest of the group in just a few minutes! Isn't that exciting? What do you think so far?" Erika thought Juliette would bubble over with bubbliness. 

"What the hell does it matter?"

Juliette just shrugged and bounced back to her bunk. 

In a few minutes time, 3 other girls, of whom Erika presumed were the remainder of the female Cliffhangers, carrying bags on their backs, returned to the dorm. As she heard the door latch open, Erika turned to face. As the three girls entered, she heard Juliette's familiar squeal.

"Guys, that's the newbie! Her name's Erika!"

"She looks friendly," quipped one of them sarcastically, noting the hostile expression set in Erika's eyes. She had shoulder-length brown hair and pretty features. 

"You wanna see just how friendly?" Erika lashed back.

"That's Daisy," said Juliette to Erika. "She's sarcastic a lot."

An African American girl laughed. She had long braided hair and striking green eyes. "Dais, that's how you looked like when you first got here." She looked over at Erika. "I'm Katharine, but everyone calls me Kat."

"Newbie huh?" said the last of them, a girl with long blond hair and blue eyes named Shelby. "Do you hate this place yet? Wait until you see what they serve in the cafeteria."

Juliette gave Shelby a look. "Don't listen to her," she said to Erika. "The food's fine."

"You should know, you don't even eat it," Shelby was quick to reply.

"Can you guys can it?" said Kat, irritated.

"Oh and guys," said Juliette, ignoring Shelby's comment, "we have group in like fifteen minutes.

"Aren't you lucky," Shelby directed to Erika sarcastically. "Group is just the highlight of Horizon."

"They try to make us bear our souls," added Daisy, taking out her tarot cards. 

"But try is the operative word, you see," said Shelby.

"Guys, let's give her some room." put in Kat.

"You don't need to give me anything." 

Kat just stared at Erika, dumbfounded, and went to unpacking her bags.

Some time had passed, and Shelby, Daisy and Kat had left for Group. Only Juliette and Erika remained in the girls' dorm. 

Juliette ran her brush through her hair some more and made her may to the door. "Erika! Come on, we have to get to group! Don't you want to meet the gang?"

"I could care less."

"Come on!" Juliette bounced back over to Erika and attempted to drag her off her bunk. Erika stifled a laugh at the futile attempt.

"Face it honey, I'm not gonna budge."

Juliette sighed dramatically. "Okay, but you can't avoid group forever. If you wanna join us, just come! I love newbies!" she skipped out of the door.

As Juliette left the dorm, Erika shook her head and wondering at the strangeness of it all. What was that girl doing here?! She was downright insane she was so happy. 

Erika layed down on her side of her bunk. Everything was happening so quickly. Yesterday she was skipping school and getting high. She got home, found that large black guy there, and packed bags. Now she had been shipped off to some school for screw ups and the reality of it all was unnerving. She contemplated running seriously, figured it would be a quick route out of here, although she had heard Peter when he had said there was nowhere to run. And the drive here had convinced her that there was nothing nearby but mountains. It ha to be worth a try, though. She had nothing here. Absolutely nothing. But then again, where did she had anything of value? 

  
  



	4. Numb

Erika heard a knock at the door, and Sophie barged into the dorm. "Erika?" she said. "Time for group."

"I don't care."

Sophie sat down beside Erika on her bunk. "I know it's your first day and it's hard adjusting to a new situation, but you should care. You don't want to meet the other cliffhangers?"

"I've already met more of them then I would have cared to."

"And why's that?"

"Can't relate."

"I think you could relate more than you know. They've all gone through rough first days."

"Not just that."

"They're all here for a reason you know. Come on, get acquainted with them. Give it a chance." 

"Why the hell do they care?"

"Are you adjusting alright?"

"Do you think I need a fucking babysitter?" she didn't bother to conceal the irritation in her voice.

"You should watch your language," Sophie warned seriously.

"And if I don't?" Erika challenged.

"Peter would be more than happy to put you on kitchen duties." 

"That's one of the chores right?"

"Yes. You have to learn to abide by the rules here, or you won't last very long."

"I abide by my own rules."

"Maybe you did at home. But here you don't have a choice."

Erika eventually rose, reluctantly, and, accompanied by Sophie, left for 'Group'.

  
  


* * *

"As you know, Cliffhangers, we have a new member. This is Erika." Peter introduced to the Cliffhangers. "To get to know each other, pass the staff and when you receive it, tell Eriika your name and why you're here, or something about yourself."

Peter tossed the staff to Kat. She said to Erika, "My name's Kat, but you already know that. I'll be graduating from this place in a few months." Katharine tossed the staff to Juliette.

Juliette caught the staff and said, "I'm Juliette Waybourne, and I'm here because I was a binge-purge and cutting queen. Other stuff too, but anyways," She passed it to Auggie. 

"My name's Auggie," he said as he caught the staff, "ended up here cuz of being in a gang and stuff and had the choice between juvie and here." He threw it to Scott, who caught it easily.

"I'm Scott Barringer, and I'm into football." 

"Understatement of the year," quipped Daisy. Scott grinned and tossed it to her.

"My name's Daisy Lipenowski, I'm here because my parents are alcoholics, and I vented my anger on my father with a seven-iron, who was disenchanted with life and abusive." Daisy passed it to Shelby.

"Shelby Merrick," she began, "and one thing about me is that I don't share my past." Sheby tossed it to Ezra.

"I'm Ezra Friedkin, that's Friedkin, and I'm here because I had a thing for drugs, among other things." Ezra tossed it to the last remaining member of the Cliffhangers, Erika.

Erika caught the staff with ease. "Let's see," she began. "My name is Erika Lavalier and the last place I want to be is here, now." she threw the staff and her words to Peter.

"Something about yourself?" Sophie reminded Erika.

"That was something about myself."

"And why is that?" Peter pressed.

"Why do you think?"

"You tell me."

"You've not going to get anything out of me."

"And why is that?"

"You're wasting your time."

"Peter, give it up," Shelby put in.

Peter sighed, exasperated. "Well do you like sports, because Cliffhangers, we have a soccer match against the Ridge-runners scheduled for this afternoon. What do you think about that, Erika?"

"We're not going to lose. I don't lose. That's what I think."

"Competitive spirit," observed Scott, grinning. "I like her already," he continued.

"Another Scott, just what we need," quipped Daisy. The others chuckled. Scott always had to win, and this girl's attitude seemed to resemble Scott's.

"Do you play sports?" Scott asked Erika.

"You bet I do," was her reply.

"Football?" he asked.

"Yeah, some."

"What else do you play?" Juliette questioned, trying to be friendly.

"Why the hell do you care?"

Juliette shrugged. "Just wondering."

"Before I was thrown off the teams, competitive soccer and track."

"Cool."

"Yeah, whatever."

Peter interrupted the group. "One last thing, and then you can go. Finish this sentence: I feel.. Erika?"

"I don't feel."

Peter looked at the girl, wondering if she was serious. "And why is that?" he asked.

She fed him a blank stare, as if to reaffirm what she had just stated. How could they possibly understand, she thought, how could they possibly..

"Erika?" said Peter, concerned.

"You look so pathetic," Erika said, amused. "Why won't you just give up? I'm not going to change, not for you, not for anyone."

"I don't quit, and I refuse to lose hope for someone who might just need it," he replied.

"I don't need hope. I don't need anything."

"And what makes you think that?"

"I desensitized myself. When you feel.. You invite someone to hurt you." Erika stated, as though it was the simplest thing in the world.

"And so you just desensitized yourself like that, huh?" Daisy interrupted. "Decided one day, I don't feel like feeling anymore and all of a sudden you went numb. Right." 

"You don't feel nothin'," Auggie said, "you might as well be dead."

Shelby said nothing, just staring at the girl that, in so many ways, was exactly like her. 

Erika met their gazes defiantly. 

"Is there a point of living, if you can't feel?" Juliette reflected.

"Well that would pretty much defeat the purpose," replied Daisy.

Peter saw a reflective expression on Ezra's countenance. "Ezra, your thoughts?" he said.

Ezra looked around, as if searching for the right words. "I don't think anyone can't feel.. Unless their paralysed or something like that, but I think sometimes we don't want to feel."

"Like you as you were going through the janitors closet?" Shelby put in sarcastically.

"Yeah."

"You thought that as you were sniffing those chemicals in there, all your initial problems would disappear," stated Daisy. "But they didn't, did they?"

"Maybe they did," said Scott. He subsequently grinned. "you know, for a few hours."

"But then he acquired a whole set of new ones."

Peter interrupted the debate. "Okay group, you're dismissed," he said.

The group vacated from the room, and Peter made his way back to his office.


	5. Defiant

"Hey Soph," Peter greeted the blond woman with crystal blue eyes as she entered his office. He set down his papers, glancing up from his paperwork 

"So what'd you think of the new admit?"

"Erika?" said Sophie. "Defiant, oppositional, says she doesn't feel, but she seemed to get along well enough with the gang for her first day."

"Yeah, and I don't think we have to worry about losing that soccer game.."

Sophie smiled. "And whatever gave you that idea?"

"She looks like she can play sports to me."

"And pick fights, too."

"Has a history of that. Hopefully it'll go over well, though."

"She doesn't like authority figures, for sure," Sophie commented.

"That one's a given. She's just this big wall, always en garde. That speech she gave me about how I'm wasting my time with her and that she doesn't feel- I'm thinking something happened to her, some kind of trauma.."

"I just hope that whatever is eating at her, we'll be able to get it out of her so she won't have to suffer in silence."

"Yeah," Peter sighed. "But that's all we can do. She got so many defences up, it'll be a while before we can brake them all down."

"Or before she'll let us."

"Yeah. Her mother said something about Erika being manipulative. It definitely doesn't look to me as though she gives up easily."

  
  


* * *

The afternoon arrived swiftly. 

"Alright Erika, time to show us what you can do," Peter said. "Just remember guys, have fun and try not to make this too competitive."

"Yes my captain," commented Shelby.

"I'm serious, don't make this anymore competitive than it is. Can you do that, guys?"

"I dunno," answered Scott, grinning. "What's your definition of competitive?"

Peter cracked a smile. "You know what I mean. Alright, get out there." The cliffhangers jogged out towards a large grass field, with the Ridge-runners opposite them. They formed a tight circle, and Scott, retaining his role as the group leader, took charge.

"Daisy, Ezra, you're on defence," he asserted.

"I'm going in nets," Shelby voiced."

"Alright," Scott affirmed. "Auggie, you're on forward." 

"Alright, meat," was the reply. He took his place before the invisible line that divided the two sides. 

Scott turned to Erika. "You say you played competitively, so I'm thinking forward for you, along with myself and Auggie."

"Well I don't frickin play anything else," replied Erika, sounding satisfied and went off to take her position. 

Scott transferred his gaze to the bubbly brunette. "Juliette, think you can play left mid?"

"I'll do my best," she answered, sounding both up to the challenge and unnerved.

"K, great." he replied. "And Kat, right mid."

Peter and Sophie watched from the stands as the Cliffhangers took their assigned positions on the field. Peter rose from his seat, and with the sound of the whistle around his neck, the game began. 

The game began with Scott, who passed the ball directing to Erika, who had been open far on the field. He wanted to know, early on, what kind of game she played. She took control of the game immediately.

She dribbled the ball across the field, winding through the defensive Ridgerunners who were trying, in vain, to take the ball from her. She shoved past them, keeping the ball under her control. The rest of the Cliffhangers stopped and just observed what was happening before them.

"I guess she wasn't kidding when she said she played competitive soccer," Juliette commented to Auggie. 

"Yeah," he responded. "Came outta nowhere."

Erika was soon before the Ridgerunner's net. She quickly took aim, and kicked to ball into the top corner of the net, the goalie reaching for the ball in vain, as it slid into the back. The Cliffhanger's erupted into cheers. Juliette was squealing at the top of her lungs, as Scott merely applauded the goal. The game had only begun and already Erika had scored, and all on her own. He couldn't help but be impressed.

"I say we sit back, cheer on Erika and let her do all the work," said Ezra.

Erika made her way back to the Cliffhangers, who complemented her on her game.

"Nice score," Scott commented.

"Yeah, real nice," added Auggie.

"Great job," put in Kat.

Juliette ran up to Erika and hugged her. "You were soo good!" she squealed.

Erika pulled Juliette off of her, irritated. "Whatever," she said, and took her position once again.

Daisy met Ezra's gaze, and shrugged. Auggie placed his hand on a hurt Juliette's shoulder. "She'll come around," he said, not certain she would. 

The game began again, with the Ridgerunners on offense and the Cliffhangers, defence. A tall, blond Ridgerunner, ventured on the Cliffhanger's side, and wove through a few of the Cliffhangers. Erika hurled herself in front of him and quickly, tactfully, kicked the ball through his legs, and as he turned around, took off with the ball. She ran towards the opposing team's net, but a Ridgerunner intervened, and tried to steal the ball. She shoved past him, knocking him off balance, but soon found herself guarded with another Ridgerunner. Scott ran up behind Erika.

"Erika, behind you!" he called, making it known to her that he was open. She took a glance at him, but that was all. She played by her own rules. Instead of involving her other teammates, she shoved past the boy who guarded her on the other team and aimed for the net.

"Would it kill her to pass the ball?" Kat muttered to Juliette, who nodded. 

As she took aim, a well-built Ridgerunner came from behind her, and with some fancy footwork, stole the ball from her. Erika was furious.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing!" she yelled and tackled him from behind. 

"Erika!" Peter yelled, finding it hard to believe what was happening before him. The game had stopped, and the only action taking place was a fight breaking out between Erika and a seventeen year old Ridgerunner named Daniel. Peter ran from the stands, with Sophie behind him over to where Erika and Daniel were taking shots at each other.

Scott had beaten him to it. Scott pulled Erika off the Ridgerunner, and was barely able to restrain her. She struggled against his grip, desperately wanting to break free. 

"Erika!" Scott said as she wriggled against his grip. "Cool it!" She broke free for a moment, only to be held back again, this time by Peter.

"My office, now." 

The Cliffhangers looked at one another, stunned. Erika had provided quite the show for the rest of them and they didn't really know what to make of it.

"Soph," Peter said to the counsellor, removing his whistle from around his neck and tossing it to her, "continue the game, I'm going to make sure that there will be no more incidents like this from Erika."

"Got it," replied Sophie as she caught the whistle. 

"That girl has a lot of nerve," Shelby muttered to Scott. 

"Yeah," he agreed. "A lot of nerve."

"How did it happen?" burst in a confused Juliette. "I wasn't watching."

Scott turned to the bubbly brunette. "Seemed to me like the Ridgerunner stole the ball from her and she tackled him from behind."

Kat joined in their conversation. "Even you're not that bad," she said, indicating Scott. "Her attitude stinks."

"All he did was steal the ball. And she tackles him- from behind even." stated Shelby. Sarcastically, she added, "What's she doing in Horizon, when all she needs is Anger Management."

"Anger is a powerful emotion, Shelby," Daisy put in. "She says she doesn't feel, but she feels anger, that much is evident. And when you let anger control you, ultimately it's destructive. And who's to say anger is her main issue, when it's probably more of her belief that no authority exists."

Shelby looked at Daisy skeptically.

"Ok guys, back to the game," Sophie called to the Cliffhangers, who had bunched up.

The Cliffhangers darted back to their assigned positions, with Kat filling in for Erika, and the game resumed.


	6. Broken

"Erika, what will it take for you to follow the rules?!" Peter said angrily in his office, towering over his defiant student. "There are consequences for our actions, and you don't seem to understand that!"

Erika just stared at her headmaster, disinterested.

"I can't have you acting out like this!" he stopped. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Erika stared at Peter, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What happened?" she asked, incredulous. "He stole the ball from me! He stole the goal I would have scored."

Peter looked at Erika, exasperated. "Do you enjoy making my job difficult?"

"Like you cannot imagine."

Peter sighed heavily. "Do shuns mean anything to you?" he asked.

"Do I care?"

Peter chuckled. "You might when you hear what they are."

"Enlighten me."

"No contact with anyone for 24 hours."

"Sounds great."

Peter glanced at Erika. She had to be kidding. "Because this is your first day here, this is a warning. But if you act out again, you know what's coming." He paused. "For now, however, I want a thousand word essay on why we should follow the rules here, as well as a hand-written copy of these," he handed her a manual of Horizon's rules and regulations.

"You have got to be kidding me." she said incredulously.

"I'm dead serious, Erika. You have to accept that there are rules and limitations, it's not your world."

"Yeah, well it should be."

"Erika- I know it's sometimes hard to adjust to new situations, but you have to learn to adjust, we can't always have what we want. It's not just you here."

Erika merely stared blankly at the wall.

"Do you understand?" Peter asked when she failed to respond.

Erika shrugged. "Whatever," she said, still maintaining eye-contact with the wall.

"Anytime you want to talk, I'll be right here."

She refused to answer, making no indication that she had even heard him.

"Get back to your dorm. I want that essay and a copy of the rules for tomorrow." 

Erika rose from her chair and left the room without another word, slamming the door behind her. Peter sighed, exasperated, not knowing what to do. He slumped into the chair behind his desk and pondered. He shuffled through his files and removed Erika Lavalier.

  
  


Erika trudged back to her dorm, thoroughly enraged. They honestly expected her to oblige to rules that weren't her own?! And Peter wanted a copy of the rules nonetheless! Has nothing she said registered?! She couldn't expect anyone to understand. Not at home, not here. So she kept it bottled up inside, where no one could see it. She pushed it to the back of her conscious so it wouldn't affect her daily life. Eventually the pain ceased, but only because she had refused to let it win- in other words, she had learned insensitivity- and found drugs. She thought herself insensitive- she truly did, but it was all an illusion she had created over her eyes so she wouldn't drown in her own misery. 

She thought that if she didn't care about anything, and didn't respect anything the pain would be significantly less than if she allowed herself to feel, if she let other people care about her. Because in the end they would all betray her. They always did. 

She heard the voices of the Cliffhangers ringing in her ears. Was life worth living if you wouldn't allow yourself to feel? What was this thing called life anyways? Would she truly be in the same state as she was as of now if she were dead? 

She didn't have any of the answers. Maybe she was better off dead. Was life really worth living? There was nothing else out there, she had convinced herself of that. 

The confusion swarmed through her mind, and she wished she could put an end to it. It was then that she realized she could. Put an end to it all. Death.. could do just that. End her misery. Cease her pain. 

Erika felt a sprinkle of rain fall on her shoulder, and looked up to see that the sky had been swarmed over with dark, dreary clouds.. She darted into her dorm, shutting the door behind her. As she was inside, she flopped onto her bunk. Had she seriously been considering suicide? But how could she, without getting her revenge, without.. What did it matter now.

She looked around the empty dorm. She could escape, her opportunity presented itself now. The question was: would she take it?

She contemplated it somberly. To run or not to run. To run. 

Erika opened the dorm room door, and it burst open in a swarm of wind. It rained heavily now. She darted outside, relieved to see no one in sight. She wondered why the Cliffhangers had not yet returned, but not for long. She stood there, the rain drenching her entirely. Now, the question was Where- where to go now, where could she head. The sky was so gloomy and dark, no ray of sunlight peaked through the clouds. It was a thoroughly gloomy day. 

She spotted a dark forest nearby, and ran. Ran at the fastest her legs could carry her in a burst of speed. She ran swiftly through the dampened forest, winding through the trees and natural obstacles. It was just like during the soccer match, dodging the players that were trying to intervene with her success. She paid no heed where she ran she just did, deep into the forest, afraid. The forest floor was slippery, but that was just another obstacle, another obstacle she could overcome. 

She was amazed to find tears, slowly forming in her eyes. She stopped as she noticed this, stopped in her tracks. Why? Why was the question. A tear slowly slid down her cheek. What was happening? 

Thunder crackled in the sky, and she was suddenly afraid. In need. She angrily brushed the tears away. So I am weak, she thought. She forced her legs to continue on, drive herself deeper in the forest. 

Flashes of lightning illuminated the sky, but still Erika kept on, fiercely, blindly determined. 

Finally, as she could suppress them no longer, her tears spilled over her cheeks. She was afraid, she realized, afraid. She leaned her body against a solid oak, and sat down against it, fighting to keep her tears controlled. She watched the world unfold around her, the rain spilling through the foliage of trees, dripping into small pools. All forest life was absent, sheltering from the rain. And here she was, lost, drenched, afraid.. Where was her shelter?

Thunder crackled through the sky once more and Erika felt another tear stream down her cheek and to her chin. Shaking, she wiped it away. She was crying, there was no mistaking it. There were no excuses. She was capable of feeling, she realized. And now, she felt afraid, uncertain.

Now she was vulnerable. Broken.

Her thoughts drifted back to those that she had generated minutes before she had ran. Was her existence really reminiscent of death, because she wouldn't allow herself to feel? What to make of that now, as she had just wiped away a product of sorrow. 

She could feel. But I don't have anything else, she reasoned. No one who cares.. Peter.. Juliette. Do they care? But why would they? They were merely trying to help and I pushed them as far as I could. 

What am I doing? she pondered idly. If I give them the satisfaction of my trust.. my love.. and they'll stab me in the back at the first opportunity. That's just the way it is. 

Or is it? Erika put her head in her hands, confused. Her thoughts were jumbled, stacked, and she was unable to sort them, to understand them. 

"Why can't I have happiness?" She screamed into the gloomy night. "Why am I the one always drowning in my own misery?"


	7. Hope

  
  


Peter Scarbrow was finishing up some paperwork as he heard the drumming of rain. He prayed it wouldn't be another storm. The last had cost Horizon a hefty amount in damages. 

He didn't think much of it, until Sophie came bursting into his office.

"Hey Soph," he greeted her.

"Hey," she responded. "Crazy weather we're having lately," she stated. 

"Is everyone settled in?"

"The Cliffhangers are settled back in their dorms. They had wanted to continue the game, even with the rain, but when I heard that first crackle of lightning, the game was over."

"So who won?" asked Peter, smiling. 

"We managed to pull through a victory, even with Erika gone."

Peter nodded.

"Where is Erika?" she asked suddenly.

"What do you mean where is Erika?" Peter stood.

"It's just, she wasn't in her dorm."

Sophie paused, and noticed the strange expression on Peter's countenance. "You mean she isn't with you?" she continued.

"I sent her to her dorm!"

"Oh my god.. She must have ran."

Peter wasted no time. He sped from his office, with Sophie behind him. 

Peter was panicked. Why hadn't he kept a closer eye on her? He hadn't honestly expected her to run, especially in a heavy rain. She hadn't been lying when she had said that she thoroughly enjoyed making his job difficult.

He had to run after her. Even though it verged on a full-out storm, he had to go. He had run in storms before- it wasn't something he liked doing, but something rather he could do when the need called. And when one of his students ran- that was reason enough. 

He truly cared about the students, in a way that no one else could. He had been in their positions once before. He understood their troubles, and their pain, their need to be loved, because there wasn't always someone else. He understood the difference one act of caring could have on the lives of at-risk teenagers. 

Peter grabbed his coat and pulled it on hastily. 

"Where are you going?" asked Sophie, but knowing the answer.

"First, I'm going to make sure that Erika isn't just hiding in the girl's dorm. Then, we'll try to figure out where she headed and follow that path. We have to find her, Soph. Her life could be in danger as we speak."

"I know," said Sophie Becker, placing a reassuring hand on Peter's shoulder. "You will find her."

"I wish I could take your word for it, Soph" he said, and darted into the storm, Sophie watching him leave. It wasn't just Erika's life that was in danger now.

Peter found himself in the midst of a fierce storm. The rain was heavy and relentless, the wind bordered on violent. He could hardly see, the storm was so cruel. He was only exposed to the elements a few moments, and already he was completely drenched it rain. But he braved it knowing that Erika was out there as well, and that she was likely, drenched, cold and lost, worse off then he was. He at least knew his way around.

Peter approached the girl's dorm and knocked as he entered. 

As soon as he entered, Daisy said to Shelby, "Well there goes your theory that Sophie brought us in for no reason." 

Juliette and Kat rushed to him. "What do you need?" asked Kat. 

"And what are you doing?!" said Juliette, bewildered.

"Is Erika in here?" he asked simply.

"Nope," replied Daisy, bluntly.

"Why?" asked Juliette.

"Are you looking for her?" asked Kat.

"Yes," replied Peter. "We think she ran."

The Cliffhanger girls looked a little stunned, except for Shelby, who said, "Well that was bound to happen."

"In the storm? Is she crazy?!" said Kat.

"Nope, just another lost soul," put in Daisy.

"Do you guys have any idea where she ran?" Peter asked.

They shook their heads, unknowing.

"Well do you have anything, anything that can help us locate her?"

"Sorry we couldn't be of more help, Peter," said Kat.

  
  


Erika curled into a ball as she leaned against the solid oak, soaked to the bone. It was growing dark, and she hadn't budged. She merely lay there, pondering. The storm continued on, restlessly, and she let it wash over her, wash away all the things that now she wished she could take back. Wash away what was. Could she learn to trust again? Learn to love again? Erika had none of the answers that she sought. But she was certain of one thing- she felt, and she needed too. And she needed right now.

Erika saw a dim light glimmer through the trees. A glimmer of hope in the surrounding darkness.

"Erika!" she heard someone shout. Repeatedly.

Erika remained engrossed in her thoughts. She knew it was likely Peter, searching for his latest admit. What did she ever do to deserve the kind of treatment she received here? All she had done was try to make things as difficult as possible for him, and still, he had refused to give up on her. And now here he was, battling the elements, for her sake.

A tear slid down her cheek once again. She cried, cried because he had such devotion to his students, had such dedication to a girl who could only tell him, you're wasting you're time.. The kind of dedication a parent owes to their child. None of them were at all related to him and he showed such consistent dedication to them all. She couldn't help but respect that. She cried, cried because she knew what it was like to be so intensely devoted to someone.. And while all that guy did in the end was betray her in the worst possible way, Peter poured so much of himself into helping others, and just kept on giving.

Would she learn to trust again? Would she learn to love again? She decided she would give it a shot, but only because someone had inspired her to, because someone taught her that it was okay to feel, that all hope was never lost, that there was always tomorrow. 

Why would someone waste their life helping people like her? she pondered. The only conclusion she could draw was that some people were fulfilled by this.. And there would have to a guiding light for people like her or they might never make it through.

Erika heard the sounds of leaves and plants rustling, twigs snapping under someone's weight nearby. Peter, no doubt. 

A bright flashlight shined before her, and Peter emerged from the darkness. 

"Erika!" he said, relieved. 

He was not the only one relieved now that this episode drew to an end.

Peter helped her up from the floor of the forest, both relieved and confused that she had only gone that far, and her eyes were ripe with tears, that she did not push him away as he brought her back... to a place with light. 


	8. Aftermath

Note: thanks to everyone who took the time to review!

  
  
  
  


A veil of darkness continued to hang over their eyes, even as they entered their harbour. They were drenched completely and breathed sighs of relief as they reached Horizon, a place where the rain could not penetrate their skin, but drummed on the roof relentlessly. Peter Scarbrow removed his soaked jacket as he entered his dark office, drenched, with an equally drenched Erika Lavalier trailing behind him, a lost look conspicuous in her eyes. Peter Scarbrow flicked the light switch on, but it was to no avail. He cursed under his breath as he realized the power was likely out due to the storm. He removed a flashlight from his top drawer, and flicked open the blinds to his office window. The storm raged on behind the window, the lightning alighting the darkened room.

"Erika." Peter stated, commanding the attention of his defiant student. 

Erika's eyes drifted to her headmaster. Peter noticed the change in her eyes, but did not comment on it. 

Peter looked his newest admit straight in the eye, and she met his gaze blankly. 

"Why do you insist on making my job so difficult?" he asked her.

When she did not respond, he continued on. "I have over 150 students that are my responsibility since the chaos of the storm. But what am I doing? Venturing in the storm to drag you back here."

"No one forced you to," she responded absently.

"Erika, you are my responsibility too. I just wish you would make it easier for the both of us, if you would just let me help you. Are there going to be any more incidents like this? How many more times am I going to have to drag you back here, huh?!" 

Erika maintained Peter's gaze. "No more times," she replied impassively.

Peter's brow furrowed, bewildered at the unexpected response. "Can I have that in writing?" he cracked a smile. It quickly dissipated. "So why is that?"

Erika avoided his gaze and rolled her eyes. 

Peter slumped into the chair behind his desk. A crackle of lightning sounded. "Why did you run?" he asked finally. 

Erika shook her head. "I'm messed up, alright?!"

"Erika, you're going to have to face your demons sometime."

"Oh, I know that."

"So why did you run?" he looked at her squarely.

"So I could face my demons," she said simply.

"You want to tell me what they are?"

Erika gave him a look. "Why do you bother?! Why do you care so much about me and some other messed up kids? What do you care what becomes of me?!"

"I was once in your position, you know. I understand."

"Bull."

"No, Erika, I really do. If you'd seen me a few years ago, you would never have guessed that I would turn out to be the person I am now." 

Erika rolled her eyes. "I hope you don't expect me to care."

"It was your question."

"I wanted a straight answer."

"You want to know why I care? Because there's not always someone who does in the lives of the kids here. I give teens second chances at a good life, get their lives back on track, because there's not always someone else. Because there was 'someone else' for me, and I want to return the favour for those who need it."

"How noble," Erika commented dryly.

"I take a lot of pride in what I do," Peter responded seriously.

Erika muttered under her breath, "Yeah, right, he understands."

"What was that?" Peter questioned.

"I said, you couldn't possibly understand."

"Try me."

"No," she responded, irritated. 

"How can you know that I wouldn't understand if you don't tell me, huh?"

She refused to answer and stared absently at the wall.

"I can help you, Erika."

She shook her head defiantly. "Happy endings don't exist."

Peter looked at Erika suddenly. "Do you want to be here, Erika?"

"I don't know," she whispered absently. The answer caught Peter by surprise.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I'm confused, alright? I'm messed up. I don't know what I mean."

Peter nodded. He was beginning to make some progress, she was beginning to answer his questions, even though they were obscure answers that she gave. The room was suddenly alighted as the lights flickered on. "Erika, get to your dorm. Try to get some sleep. A senior, female student will be there in your dorm, awaiting your return, and will stay there to make sure you don't make another brake for it."

"Are you kidding me? I already told you I wouldn't run again. Isn't that good enough?" she said, incredulous.

"Not until you prove to me that you're trustworthy. Did you think there wouldn't be consequences for running?" Peter questioned.

Erika paused. "I didn't run that far. Doesn't that mean something?"

"You didn't come back," Peter stated, speaking as though her arguing was a lost cause, and he would not be swayed by her words.

"You do know that I could have gone into town and never looked back," Erika spoke so defiantly, Peter was momentarily taken aback. 

"Get back to your dorm. Don't forget about the thousand word essay and copy of Horizon's rules, for tomorrow."

Erika turned to leave, but Peter continued. "And by the way, you're on Kitchens for the next two weeks with Kat, Ezra and Scott."

Erika turned and stared at him blankly. "Why do you insist on making my stay here so difficult?" she said, half-serious.

"Oh, and Erika? Classes start for you tomorrow."

"Wonderful," she replied."I'm not mean-spirited, Erika. I just want to make sure that you understand that there are consequences for our actions."

"Yeah, whatever," she replied as she started towards the exit to his office. She paused, and quickly said, "thank you," not turning to face him. She walked through the doorway and shut the door behind her.

Peter was left pleased with her last words to him, but bewildered. Something had changed her in the span of the storm, he was sure of it. He didn't dwell long on Erika's consistently strange behaviour when he realized that he had to go find Sophie. He was still drenched, but felt safe in the harbour that he had helped maintain.

Peter ventured into the halls of the main lodge. They were empty. He glanced at his watch, to find that it was past midnight. It had been awhile before he had found Erika deep in the forest, so he figured that it was plausible. Everyone was likely asleep, including Sophie. Peter paused at the thought. No, he thought, Sophie wouldn't rest at the possibility that his life, as well as a student's, was in danger. 

Sophie Becker emerged from the corner, looking thoroughly tired, but alert. Her piercing, crystal blue eyes caught a glimpse of Peter, still completely drenched. Nonetheless, she ran to him and leapt into his arms. 

"Did you find Erika?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah."

"That's good."

"Sent her to the dorm."

"Think she'll make it this time?"

Peter smiled at Sophie. "Yeah," he answered.

"Oh yeah? What makes you think that?"

"Something's changed in her."

"Really?"

"She actually didn't get very far in her escape. I found her sitting against a big oak, looked like she was waiting for me."

Sophie looked at Peter skeptically. "I can imagine," she replied.

"No, serious, Soph. I bring her to my office, one of the first things she says is that she won't run again."

Sophie raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I was surprised too."

"Hmm," was the only response Sophie offered. 


	9. Returning

Shelby lay, awake, her eyes were closed, but she was very much alert. It was difficult for her to find sleep on any normal circumstance, let alone one where thunder crackled between her thoughts, and rain poured relentlessly. Daisy was wide awake in the bunk next to hers. She had taken out her tarot cards and was flipping certain cards face-up. Every so often, she would mumble something along the lines of, 'hmmm, very interesting.'

Kat sat upright in a hard wooden chair, reading. Erika was to become her responsibility for the night. But she was beginning to wonder if the newest admit would show.

Juliette was sound asleep, the only member of the female Cliffhanger's dorm. But she was suddenly awakened at the sound of loud footsteps entering the dorm, and the latch of the door shutting.

All four of the female Cliffhangers turned to Erika, who had just entered the dorm. Juliette rubbed her eyes open.

"Erika?" Juliette squealed drowsily.

A flash of lightning alighted the room momentarily, to reveal that Erika was completely drenched. Her long blond hair dripped with excess water on the hardwood floor, as did her clothes. Beads of rain were present on her countenance. 

"Not the smartest thing in the world to run in the middle of a storm huh?" Shelby taunted.

"What are you guys doing up?" Erika asked, wringing her wet hair.

"You try sleeping during a full-out storm," said Daisy. "By the way, Erika, I think there's something you ought to know," she continued, pointing to the tarot cards laid out before her.

"I don't believe in that crap."

"You might when you hear what they have to say," Daisy said mysteriously.

"K, let's see this," Erika walked over to where Daisy had her cards laid out on her bed. The top card was one bearing the image of a queen sitting on a throne with a raised sword in her left hand.

"What's it supposed to mean?" Erika asked skeptically.

Daisy met Erika's gaze. "This is the card of the Queen of Swords. You're fighting an emotional battle, and it's not going to get any better until you put it behind you."

"Whatever." Erika went back to her bunk and changed into dry clothes.

"So Peter busted you huh?" said Shelby, sitting up in her bunk.

"You were crazy to go in that storm," Kat commented, still absorbed in her reading. 

"Yeah, Peter dragged me back here, and yeah, I'm probably crazy. But what's it to you?"

"Just wondering what's up in that world of yours," Shelby mumbled, shifting in her bunk. 

"My world doesn't involve you, Shelby," Erika said objectively.

"We don't always get to choose," muttered Daisy, still engrossed in her tarot cards. 

"Cool it, Erika. I didn't ask to be stuck here with you either."

"So we're clear on that, then?"

"Guys, just give it a rest," Kat intervened, irritated and tired.

"Come on, how far did you get?" Shelby pressed, smirking.

Erika sat up in her bed to face Shelby, locking her gaze with hers. "Further then you'll ever get."

"Why? Because I never ran from here?" Shelby questioned, smirking. "I know what I have here."

"Like you have anything here."

"Well hun, I do," said Shelby, genuinely smiling to herself. Daisy smiled to herself also.

"Well it's no mystery to me why your parents wanted to get rid of you so badly," Erika muttered.

"You don't know anything," said Shelby. 

Erika smirked. "You're weak," she said. 

"You don't know anything," repeated Shelby. 

Kat had momentarily looked up from her reading, observing the scene unfolding before her. "Guys, get to sleep."

Erika curled up in her bunk, closed her eyes. The events of the day swirled in her thoughts, and she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Shelby tried to do the same. But sleep would not come. She merely stared out the window, watching the storm ensue. 

  
  


"Erika, get up! Get up!" 

Erika awoke drowsily. She could discern Kat's voice. "Not a morning person, huh? You're on kitchens."

"Oh, joy," Erika muttered. She decided to rest her eyes a few moments longer..

"Erika.. We only have a few minutes."

Erika rubbed her eyes and dragged herself out of her bunk. She glanced outside, to find that the storm had cleared way for bright sunlight. Erika dragged herself to the bathroom and looked in the mirror to find her hair thoroughly dishevelled. But she couldn't have cared less. She didn't have anyone to impress here. She quickly ran a brush through her hair, and brushed her teeth. She returned to her bunk and dressed. 

Erika advanced towards the door. "You comin'?" She asked Kat.

"Yeah," She responded. "Let's go."

Kat and Erika exited the dorm, still awakening. 

"God I need my caffeine fix," muttered Erika.

Kat chuckled. "You're not gonna get that here."

"No caffeine here either! You have got to be kidding me-"

"Nope, no caffeine, no anything."

"What, they're afraid we'll try to get high off caffeine?!"

Kat smiled. "Wouldn't you?"

"So? How do they expect us to get up in the morning?!" 

"They expect us to find a way. This place is about leaving behind all those things you used to depend on."

"This has to be some kind of sick joke." 

Kat laughed. "You'll get used to it," she said.

Erika had a disgusted look on her face. "They've done a good job of brainwashing you." she said.

"They have," Kat agreed.

"I'm gonna give them a piece of my mind."

"A word of advice- try to keep your argument without profanity."

"Ugh.. Make that a piece of my fist."

"Seriously, Erika."

"Whatever."

"Really, you might as well not bother. It's a lost cause, I have yet to see anyone bend Peter's rules."

"Guess you haven't seen enough of me yet."

Kat stared at Erika. "No, I've seen enough of you. I think the question is, have you seen enough of Peter?" 

"More than enough."

"There you go."

"Whatever."

Kat chuckled and led Erika to the kitchens. 

Sophie, Scott and Ezra were already there as Kat and Erika arrived.

"Right on time," Sophie remarked, referring to Erika and Kat. "Ok, gang, Ezra, Kat, you'll be drying the dishes. Scott, Erika, you two'll be doing the washing."

"Oh, joy," Erika muttered sarcastically. The other Cliffhangers were silent and accepted their duty. They were accustomed to the rules here. Scott and Erika walked over to the kitchen sinks.

"Hey," said Scott to Erika as they were washing the dishes side by side.

"Hey," she responded nonchalantly.

"Heard you ran."

"Word sure gets around fast here."

"Yeah, it does."

"Why is everyone so fascinated with what happened last night? I mean seriously, I couldn't have been the only one to ever run."

"You're not. I ran too, my first day here."

"Really."

"Yeah. And two months after that." 

"Twice? Once wasn't enough, huh? I thought our stay here was supposed to get better with time," Erika said sarcastically.

"It did, it's just.. stuff happens."

"Yeah, stuff sure does happen," Erika said.

"Yeah."

"Do you like it here?"

Scott was taken by surprise with the question. "Yeah, it's alright I guess," he answered.

Erika shook her head. "I'm never gonna understand it.."

"I'd rather be here than at home. I chose Horizon over home."

Erika stared at him. "Are you mental?"

"I couldn't leave it."

"Why?! I'd kill to be at home right now."

"Because of Shelby," he sad simply.

"Shelby? You and Shelby?" Erika said, incredulous. "You actually like that bitch? Oh my god, you really are mental," she continued, her control slipping from her grasp, suppressing a laugh at the thought of it.

Scott looked as though it was taking all that he had to restrain himself from knocking Erika over the head. "Give her a chance, you don't know her like I do."

"Oh God, I don't want to know her like you do, I want to be able to sleep at night."

Scott halted abruptly to face Erika. "You keep running your mouth, and you won't be able to sleep at night."

"Why? I'm not scared of you! Oh, the macho football captain, I'm shaking with fear," she laughed.

Ezra and Kat had turned to see what had caused Erika and Scott to raise their voices, when they saw Scott lunge at Erika.

"Scott!" Kat yelled, unimpressed, running over to the two.

Erika had anticipated the fight- she had provoked it. Scott threw a punch at her, which connected with her jaw. She was thrown back slightly due to the force of the blow. He said angrily, "When you don't know shit, keep your mouth shut."

Erika put a finger to her lower lip, and found a drop of blood. Scott looked at her angrily, and she returned his glare. As he was about to return to his work, she drew closer to him and returned his punch.

"You bitch!" Scott yelled as he realized what she had done, and tackled her to the floor. 

"Guys!" Kat yelled., trying in vain to pull Erika off of Scott. "Ezra, get Peter!" she ordered.

"Or somebody!" Kat continued as Ezra darted out of the kitchens area. 

Kat watched in despair as Erika and Scott wrestled relentlessly, throwing punches at one another. "Guys, stop it!" she yelled. Kat eventually succeeded in prying the two apart, in pulling Erika off of Scott. But it only ignited Erika's temper. She grasped the nearest plate within reach and flung it across the room. It landed against the wall and shattered entirely. The remnants of the plate glided onto the hardwood floor in a scattered pile.

"Get your hands the fuck off of me!" she screeched at Kat. It was then that Peter walked in.. 


	10. Newbie

"Erika, I don't know what to do with you."

Erika stared into space, absently as her headmaster lectured her uncooperative ears. She sat in his office, a familiar setting to her already, and he towered over her from behind his desk.

"In your first day here, you provoked two separate fights and ran. Would you prefer juvie hall to Horizon?" Peter stared Erika dead in the eye, to accentuate the seriousness of the situation. 

But Erika didn't so much as bother to offer a response. She just stared at him stolidly.

"If you choose to not cooperate here," Peter continued, "that's where we'll send you."

Erika avoided his gaze. His voice drowned in her unrelenting thoughts.

"That or a lock down school down the road. Those are your alternatives if you choose to not make it work here." Peter paced as he spoke. Clearly, he wasn't thrilled with lecturing either.

He stopped pacing to face his student. "Erika, if you don't talk to me, I can't help you."

Erika rolled her eyes, while Peter tried to maintain eye contact with his defiant pupil "What's your choice?" he asked outright. 

Erika's gaze drifted to her headmaster. "I don't know," she said simply.

"It's simple. You either decide to stay here and get your act together or you're shipped off the juvie. Which is it?" his voice was commanding, tired of her lack of cooperation. He wasn't in a mood to take any crap from her.

Erika maintained her absent stare. She shrugged. "What does it matter what becomes of me anyways," she said.

"Do you want your life to go to waste? I can help you, it's my job Erika. But I can only help you if you let me," exasperation crept into Peter's voice.

Erika shook her head, and replied nonchalantly, "You can't help me, Mr Scarbrow. The only person who can help me is me."

"And why do you say that?" he asked, regaining his patience.

Erika shook her head again.

"So that's your choice, huh?" disappointment was conspicuous in the headmaster's voice. "Juvie?"

"No," Erika responded firmly.

"Then what is it?" Peter inquired, exasperated.

Erika shrugged.

"So you're staying here then?"

Erika shrugged again. "Yeah, I guess."

"Well if that's your decision, as of now you're on restriction. You're not going to be doing much the next few days. And Erika? Where's the copy of the rules and that essay I asked for?"

"Didn't do it," Erika responded nonchalantly.

"Well you can work on it during your restriction. I still want it done for today."

"Yeah. Whatever."

"Not whatever. You'll be supervised, you won't be participating in events, for at least the next few days. It depends when you get your act together. It's called punishment, consequences."

Erika's visage wore defiance, but she held her tongue.

"This is just to teach you, because you need to learn. There are better ways to solve problems than to break out in a fight."

"Not true," stated Erika, shaking her head.

Peter was surprised by her response. "And why do you think that?" he asked.

"You prove yourself in fights, show people that you're not to be messed with. It's about how fiercely you fight," she said.

"But does that resolve your problems?"

When Erika refused to respond, Peter continued, "That's what I thought," he said.

"But it does," Erika said suddenly. "You stand up, you kick some ass, people can't walk on you. Personal problems are secondary. Come on, this stuff is basic."

Peter slumped into the chair behind his desk. "Why do you think like that, Erika?"

"Experience," she stated simply.

"Yeah? What kind of experience?"

"Life," she responded. Erika rose from her seat. "I am so out of here," she said.

"You can sit back down until Mr. Claypool arrives," Peter said.

Erika shot him a look and slumped back into her seat. She decided she would try to follow the rules here, strange as they are. She was pretty sure juvie hall was a place she didn't want to be..  
  
  
  


"You packed?"

"Yeah," responded the tall, dark haired boy. "Got all my stuff."

"Think you brought enough?" asked the man sarcastically as they walked out to the car, noting the many bags of luggage the boy carried.

"I brought all that I need," the boy responded.

"Hey, kid, I'm sorry," said the man, twisting the key for entry into his car.

"For what? Shipping me off like this?" 

"You understand, right?" He said as he turned to the boy.

"What is there to understand? If I was in your position I'd do the same thing."

"Really?"

The dark haired boy shook his head. "No."

"Listen, it won't be that bad." the man said unconvincingly, stooping into the driver's seat of his car. "There's a lot of mountains surrounding the place.."

"I know. Why don't you think I'm putting up a fight? I'll be better off there than here." 

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. Get in."

Seeing the boy failed to oblige with his instructors, he said, "What are you waiting for? Get in the car."

"Can't wait to be rid of me can you?" the boy accused. 

"Adrian stop stalling. You're going."

"I can't believe you were the person my mother left me with. You were supposed to look after me, not ship me off."

"Adrian, get in the car," said the elder, exasperated.

"Fine," the raven haired teen loaded his luggage into the back seat of the luxurious car, and entered the vehicle.  
  


"Hi, welcome to Horizon," announced Peter Scarbrow as his latest admit approached the main lodge. "I'm Peter Scarbrow, I'm the headmaster here."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr Scarbrow. I'm Malcolm Garret," the man put out his hand for Peter to shake. Peter took it warmly. "We spoke on the phone," continued Adrian's guardian.

"Ah, yes."

"This is Adrian Garret," said Malcolm, motioning to the tall boy with raven dark, wavy hair. His eyes were deep-set and blue, and seemed to stare off into space. But it was not space that had captured his attention- it was the mountains, hulking forms towering over the rest of the life. He had a lanky, tall build and carried himself well. His features were chiselled and proportioned well along his face. He looked about 16. 

"Adrian? I'm Peter. How are you doing?"

Adrian met Peter's gaze, scrutinizing who would be his headmaster. He blinked.

"Come inside, Adrian, we'll get you settled in." The raven haired boy obliged Peter's instructions and hauled his luggage into the main lodge. 

Peter watched in bewilderment as his latest admit willingly entered the hospitality of Horizon. He was more than a little confounded at the scene, but decided he would question Adrian's motivations later. 

Peter didn't know a vast amount about Adrian Garret. What was in his file was limited, and Malcolm had not divulged a great deal about the teen when they had spoken over the phone. But what Peter considered the strangest prospect of it all was that, as he had watched Adrian arrive, and he has not detected any hostility in his eyes. It was almost as though Adrian had already embraced Horizon as his new home.

Peter turned to the man who had brought Adrian into his care.

"He's not a bad kid," Malcolm began. "He just needs someone to straighten him out. He has his priorities figured out, and they don't include school."

"So he's a truant, huh?" Peter questioned.

"Yeah, and I think depressed too."

"Is there a possibility that he's suicidal?" Peter asked.

"I'm pretty sure not, but I wouldn't rule it out. He's had some rough experiences, but he has reasons to live for. He's a talented kid."

"Would you like to elaborate when you say, 'rough experiences'?"

"I'm pretty sure Adrian won't be shy in telling you about them. He's the one who knows the whole story anyways. I only know bits and pieces of it."

"Thank you, Mr Garret. He's in safe hands, I can assure you."

"I know. It's just that he was thrown into my responsibility, and when he was first brought to my house, he was a mess. I want what's best for him, and I think he will receive adequate help here."

"He will."


	11. Passion

Peter had searched through Adrian's luggage, and had been more than a little surprised at what he had found. It was luggage unlike any he had ever seen..

"Do you paint often, Adrian?" he asked, removing a tube of paint from Adrian's bag and studying it. There was a multitude of the tubes. Either this kid loves to paint or he had an innovative way of stashing drugs, concealed in the tubes.

"Yes," Adrian responded. "I live and breathe art. There's a whole stack of my art supplies in there, not just acrylic and oil paint tubes."

Peter fished through the objects in the bag and removed a few sketching pencils, as well as pieces of graphite and charcoal. 

"Did you bring any of your work?" asked Peter curiously.

"Of course, there'd be no way I'd leave them at my uncle's." 

"And why is that?" Peter asked.

"I'll probably never return there again. That's pretty much why I'm here- because I was too much of a burden on my uncle."

Peter registered what the boy had said, and Adrian continued.

"My mother looked after me since I was a child. We moved around a lot. I've never known my father, and I don't care to. My mother committed suicide a few months back, decided life was too hard. And it was. We weren't doing so well, but.. I was content. The guardian who was to look after me in my mother's will was my uncle Malcolm. He couldn't stand me more than two months. Now I'm here. That's my story." 

"Your uncle," Peter began, "said you were oblivious to authority and skipped some school."

"I learned living with my mom that you have to do what sparks your passion. From her death I learned not to waste time doing things I didn't want to do. That includes school."

"And how is that?" Peter asked curiously.

"Because when she committed suicide," Adrian said slowly, "I know all the dreams she left behind. I'm not going to do that."

Peter glanced curiously at this clear-minded teen. "Alright," he said. "I'm going to put you in the Cliffhanger's group. I'm going to have one of the cliffhangers, help you get settled in. Now you're scheduled for your physical.."

"For what?"

"It's standard procedure, to see if you have any drugs in your system, things like that." Peter paused. "You do know that I can't let you keep your art stuff in the dorm, right?" 

"What, you think I'll try to get high off of the paint?"

"No so much as you, but the other Cliffhangers as well. You can, however, store them in the art room."

"Art room?" Adrian asked skeptically.

"It's better than having them removed from you isn't it?"

"What about my sketchbook and sketching pencils? I can keep them with me, right?"

"Absolutely," assured Peter.

"Alright, great, thanks man."

"Any time," responded Peter. "I'll be heading off now, it's time for your physical."

  
  
  
  


"Alright," Sophie began as the Cliffhangers had gathered around in a circle. "Is everyone here?"

"Everyone except Erika," Juliette observed.

"Where is she?" questioned Sophie.

Scott replied, "probably still with Peter," he said. "Getting the lecture."

"Why?" Juliette asked.

"Basically, she doesn't like rules," replied Kat. "You know that. Speaking of which, Scott, shouldn't you be there also, 'getting the lecture'? It's not like you're much better at following the rules." 

Shelby turned to Scott, who shrugged. "I'm probably gonna get it later," he reasoned. 

"That girl's messed up, man," put in Auggie.

"In case you've forgotten Auggie," said Daisy, "we're all 'messed up', or else we wouldn't be at a lock-down facility for societal rejects."

"Well, group," interrupted Sophie, "we have a new member in our little clan. This is Adrian," she introduced.

A chorus of greetings welcomed the raven haired boy. 

"Hey watcha got there, meat?" Auggie asked, pointing to a notebook Adrian carried tightly.

"It's my sketchbook," he replied.

"You draw a lot?" asked Juliette.

"Yeah, all the time," Adrian responded.

"Cool, me too," put in Auggie. "What kinda stuff do ya draw?"

"Everything."

"Guys," interrupted Sophie, "want to introduce yourselves? Starting with Auggie."

"K, I'm Augusto Ciceros, here because of bein' in a gang and all."

"Scott?"

"Scott Barringer," he began. "Here for using drugs, and just stuff."

"Alright, Daisy?"

"My name's Daisy Lipenowski, and I'm here because I conked my father on the head with a golf club."

Adrian stared at Daisy curiously. "Why?" he asked outright.

"Oh, he wasn't much of a father, I'm a child of alcoholic parents. Whacking him over the head with the seven iron was just to vent the anger I had built up for him," she replied.

"And what about you?" Adrian said, turning to Scott. "Why'd you use?"

"Why do you want to know?" Scott asked.

"I don't understand why you'd want to spend your life getting wasted."

"Just, issues with my parents, and my step-mom," he replied.

"And you?" Adrian asked Auggie.

"Grew up in a bad neighbourhood. Pressure from my brother."

Peter appeared and interrupted the sharing of pasts, the telling of secrets. "Scott? My office, now," he commanded.

Scott rose and departed from the group, Shelby glancing wistfully at his exit. "Dammit Scott," she thought. "You just love getting yourself into trouble."


	12. Consequences

"Scott," Peter began. "What do you think I should do with you?"

Scott raised his eyebrows. "Huh?" he asked, wondering if he had heard correctly.

"Erika's on restriction for awhile. What do you think I should do with you, huh?"

"I don't know," he responded.

"How does buddy hike back sound?"

"No," Scott responded firmly, shaking his head. "Don't you think I've done enough of those?"

"Well obviously they haven't had much of an impact on you or else you wouldn't be here."

Scott shrugged.

"Buddy hike back it is," Peter decided.

"No, come on," Scott argued. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Not kidding, Scott. You, as well as Erika, need to work on talking things out before you erupt in a fight." 

"That girl is messed," he said.

"Do you think that'll garner you any sympathy from me? Come on, Scott, you've been here awhile, you know the rules. No violence." 

Scott looked around at Peter's office, exasperated. 

"Get your bags ready for tomorrow. You, Erika, and Sophie will leave at first light. Got it?"

"Yeah."  
  
  
  
  
  


Peter strolled through the corridors of the main lodge. He turned towards a near empty classroom, with only two people inside. Erika Lavalier, surveyed by Dave Claypool. Erika occupied one of the many desks, aligned in rows, and was in the process of reproducing Horizon's rules and regulations. 

"Hey Erika," Peter said, barging into the room, disrupting the tranquillity. "There's been a change in plans."

"Yeah, what? Decided one week of kitchens wasn't enough?" Erika said, glancing up from her work. She was conspicuously irritated with the mass of punishments she had garnered. 

"Do you know what a 'buddy hike back' is?" asked Peter, sitting on the edge of a nearby desk, facing his defiant student.

"What? According to the rules you made me rewrite, it's some crazy thing where two people are dumped in the middle of nowhere and have to find their way back." 

"That's right," Peter said, pleased that she had retained something of which she had written. 

"You don't seriously think that I should do this stupid buddy hike back thing?"

"That's exactly what I had in mind."

Erika gave her headmaster a look. "No," she said. "I refuse."

"Erika, you have no choice. It doesn't look to me as though you've accustomed to rules yet. How's that essay coming along?"

Erika fed him a blank stare. "Coming along," she replied nonchalantly.

"Well, good. You, Scott and Sophie will set off at first light tomorrow."

"So let me get this straight- we have to find our own food, we're tied together by a piece of twine and we have to survive the outdoors?"

"Yup."

Erika looked towards the ceiling. "God, why do you hate me?" she said dramatically.

Peter stifled a smile. "Erika, it's not that bad. You might even learn a thing or two."

"I doubt it."

"When you get back to your dorm," Peter said, rising, "be sure to pack your bags."

"Don't count on it being done."

"Would you like one of the counsellors to help you with it?"

Erika shot him a glare. "No, I'm pretty sure I can pack my things myself."

"Good."

Erika sighed, and without another word, returned to her work. Peter was pleased to see that she had almost completed the first assignment he had given her, and departed from the room.   
  
  
  


Shelby sat on the edge of the docks, her legs dangling over the side. The waves would rise and brush against the soles of her shoes, and descend in a peaceful motion. Out on the Horizon, the day was drawing to an end, and the sun was beginning to set in a thorough melange of blue and orange. The colours reflected on the rippling water. 

"Hey beautiful."

Shelby turned and smiled to find Scott standing a few paces behind her.

"Hey cowboy," she replied as Scott came to sit down next to her at the edge of the docks. "What did Peter want?"

"More punishment consequences stuff," he replied.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm in for Buddy Hike Back tomorrow morning," he responded.

"Why? What'd you do now, Scott?" she questioned, still smiling as she faced him. She knew it was likely something serious that had gotten him in another mess with Peter, but something about his presence always put a smile on her lips. 

"Got in a fist fight with Erika during kitchen duties," he said.

"Why is it that that doesn't come as a surprise," Shelby said in her familiar sarcastic tone. "What happened?" she asked.

"She ran her mouth longer than I could take," Scott sighed. "A buddy hike back is not what I had planned for tomorrow.." 

"You'll get through it," reassured Shelby. "Lots of luck though, and man, you will need it to put up with her."

"She's going to be tied to me. Our feet are going to be tied together. With twine. I can't think of anything I'd rather do less."

"Have fun, cowboy."

"Yeah, right."

"Oh, and try to straighten her out, would you? She's really pissing me off lately," Shelby said, smiling at Scott. She touched his cheek.

"Anything, babe."

"Pissing everyone off, actually."

"I'll do what I can, Shelb."

The two leaned towards one another in a slow, lingering kiss.

"How long are you going to be gone?" asked Shelby as they eventually broke apart.

"Assuming I get back, you mean. I wouldn't be surprised if that girl would try to kill me in my sleep."

"Well you'll just have to beat her to it," said Shelby smirking.

"Yeah, I guess so," Scott smiled. He subsequently rose. "I gotta go pack my stuff. We're leaving at first light. Wanna meet here again tonight?"

"Yeah, sure," she responded. "At eleven, after lights out."

"All right," he affirmed. "Don't forget," he said as he took off towards him dorm.

"I won't," she said quietly. She turned back towards the beautiful sunset that had enveloped the sky.


	13. Temperance

Adrian Garret wandered in the wilderness that Horizon provided, sketchbook and pencil in hand. He had never before been exposed to such beautiful, preserved nature . Life wasn't always ugly, he had known all his life, but he had just believed it at that moment. He had wandered into a forest close to the school, but was careful not to venture so far that he wouldn't be capable of retracing his steps back. He sat down onto the forest floor, and sketched the scene before him. His sketch was a quick one, mostly scribbles, that amazingly formed together into a piece that captured the mood of the forest perfectly. He was meticulous with detail and in minutes he had produced an impressive piece of art. 

Adrian rose from the earth floor and began to retrace his steps out of the forest when he caught a glimpse of a wildlife rustling in the foliage. He seated himself on the forest floor once more and, flipping to a fresh piece of paper, drew what he could see from the awkward point of view. He could only barely make out the shape of a red bird, fluttering its wings. The bird fluttered away in the blink of an eye, but he recollected what he had seen from memory and conveyed it onto his paper in a few quick strokes of his pencil. This was his idea of heaven- drawing from wildlife first-hand.

Adrian lingered on the forest floor some moments longer, dissecting the forest with his mind, seeing the strokes in his head to create a piece of art. He saw life a certain way.. saw the lines around objects, the strokes required to produce a masterpiece in his head. Truly, he was blessed with a gift. This gift was what kept his thoughts steered away from the cold, hard truth of reality. His mom was dead, and she had been the strongest person he had ever known. But she had always told his to pursue his dreams, to never give up on them like she had. He had no intention of not heeding her advice.

Adrian retraced his steps out of the forest and walked back to his dorm. He opened the door to find that the rest of the Cliffhanger boys were all there, lounging on their bunks. Scott was in the midst of packing his things for who knew what reason, going on about something to Auggie and Ezra.

"And so now he's making go on a buddy hike back with her!" Scott complained to them, incredulous.

"Weren't you the one to throw the first punch?" asked Ezra.

"You should have heard the trash this girl talked," he replied, still convinced the punishment was unjust.

"Hey newbie, where ya been?" Auggie asked Adrian as he entered the boy's dorm.

"Been sketching," he replied.

"Yeah?" 

"This place has such amazing scenery, how could I not?" Adrian said, almost absently. Scott glanced from his packing to the newest Cliffhanger member.

"Yo meat, you sound serious," observed Auggie. "Can I see your stuff?"

Adrian shrugged and tossed his sketchbook lightly onto Auggie's bunk. Auggie picked it up and flipped through the pages. 

"Hey, meat, this is real good," Auggie commented, glancing towards Adrian. "Scott, EZ, check this out."

Scott packed another item into his bag, and walked over to Auggie's bunk. "Whoa, shit," he commented, and returned to his bunk. 

Adrian grinned despite himself. 

"E-z, get over here!" Auggie called.

  
  
  
  


Shelby Merrick ambled back to her dorm, deep in thought. The sun set behind her, with the mountains in the distance. She approached her dorm, and let herself inside. 

Daisy was in the midst of telling a captivated Juliette what the tarot cards had to say about her future. Shelby noticed Erika at her bunk, packing. She resisted the urge to strangle the girl right then, and walked towards her own bunk.

Shelby flopped onto her bunk, and laid there, absorbed in her thoughts, when Daisy's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Shelby? I think there's something you should know," Daisy said, pointing to her tarot cards. 

Shelby moved towards the edge of her bunk, and sat there, her feet dangling to the floor. "Okay, let's hear it," she said. She wasn't sure if she truly believed in what Daisy's tarot cards had to say, but it was interesting concept, for sure.

"Chariot," Daisy announced, pointing to the flipped card. "It means decisions are to be made, as the enquirer is being pulled in two different directions."

Shelby looked at Daisy skeptically. "Translation?" she said.

"I just read 'em. You're the one who will decipher the card's meaning."

"You know, that's really not much help."

"You should have heard the one I ended up with," commented Juliette, braiding her hair in her bunk. 

"And what was it Queenie?"

"It was called 'temperament' or something or other."

"Temperance," Daisy corrected.

"Close enough," said Juliette. "Hey, Erika, what are you packing for? You're not trying to leave again are you?"

"I have no choice this time," Erika responded.

"Buddy hike back," Shelby explained to Juliette.

"How do you know that?" Erika questioned Shelby.

"Scott informed me."

"Yeah, I heard you guys are an item. Does he really like you, or is he just desperate?"

"Erika.." began Juliette.

"It's your fault he's in this mess," Shelby accused, and the two blonds confronted one another.

"Here we go again," muttered Daisy.

"Hey, listen," Erika said to Shelby. "I don't want to do this anymore than he does. I don't know what he told you, and I don't care."

Kat entered the dorm to the sound of Erika and Shelby arguing. "Guys, are you at it again? Give it a rest." 

The two didn't register her voice, and Kat plopped onto Daisy's bunk beside her.

"What do they say?" she asked, referring to the tarot cards.

"Life is full of secrets, and twists that most people are oblivious to. Not me, I have them all right here in these cards. Of course, they don't all make sense at first glance, but that changes in time."

"What about Shelby and Erika? Think that'll change in time?" Kat said, glancing towards the two blonds.

"Right now, they're just experiencing shock."

"Shock?" Kat asked skeptically.

"From seeing so much of themselves so close," Daisy replied cryptically.

"Right, Dais," said Kat, not fully comprehending Daisy's words and putting a hand on her shoulder. She walked back to her own bunk and climbed into the blankets.

"Get to sleep already, guys!" said Kat. "I'm trying to sleep here."

"You two should really give it a rest," Juliette added, putting a hair elastic at the end of her braid. She climbed into her own bunk. "It's almost lights out."

Shelby and Erika went their separate ways to their bunks, and changed into their pyjamas. They crawled into their own beds.

As the lights dimmed, Erika remained awake. Her thoughts swirled to the events of the day and the more she thought, the more she regretted many of the actions she had taken. Her eyes drifted to the alarm clock of the dorm, neon red letters flickering in the darkness, a few minutes past 10pm. She could hear Kat's light snoring in the bunk beside hers. Erika stared at the ceiling. She was in for quite the adventure the next day, she knew. She didn't have all that much experience with the outdoors and was somewhat nervous, but at the same time excited with the challenge presented. She was somewhat of an adrenaline junkie. 

Erika's rested her eyes closed, but she was still awake. A muffled awakening in the bunk across from hers alerted her senses. Shelby? What was she doing up? She watched as Shelby tiptoed across the dorm and grabbed her coat. She put it over her shoulders and slipped into her shoes. In the darkness, Erika sat up in her bunk, quietly so as not to alert Shelby of her being awake. She watched as Shelby quietly slipped out of the dorm. Erika rose from her bed, confounded. Where was Shelby heading at this time? Erika approached the nearest window, and glanced outside. Shelby walked towards the docks, and a tall figure awaited her there. Scott, no doubt, Erika thought. Erika absorbed this new piece of information and returned to her bunk.


	14. Revelations

Erika trudged out of bed the next morning, and assembled her packed things. She dressed, and pulled a brush through her hair. She pinned up her hair so it wouldn't be hanging in her face during the hike. Once she had completed her preparation, she went off to meet Peter, Sophie and Scott at the main lodge.

"I'm here," Erika announced as she arrived. Scott was lounging on one of the couches with his bag beside him.

"Good," said Sophie. "We can get started. Here's the plan: Peter will drive us up, and then he will head back. Once we're on the trail, I will shadow you two for safety. Basically, you have to find your way back to Horizon, forage for food and spend a night outside, all while you're twined together. Clear?"

"Yeah," Erika muttered. 

"And I'll be able to provide you guys with help when you need it," said Sophie.

Peter added, "I want you two to keep track of your progress in your journals. Erika, I haven't had the chance to supply you with yours as of yet, with all your commotion lately, so here's one now," he said as he handed Erika a leather-bound notebook.

"Uh, thanks," she said. 

"And where's that essay, by the way?"

"Right here," Erika said as she reached into her pack and removed a few lined sheets of writing.

"Thank you, Erika. Good work."

"It took me long enough. You sure a thousand words was enough?"

"Ok, let's go," Scott interrupted, rising from his seat.

"You two ready?" Sophie asked the two Cliffhangers.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Erika responded. 

"Yeah," Scott echoed. 

"Alright, let's get going," asserted Peter, leading the three to his jeep. They all piled in the vehicle, and the trek began.

Peter drove deep into the wilderness, following a rugged path along the forestland. When he finally pulled up in a desolate piece of forest, the two Cliffhangers and counsellor leapt out of Peter's vehicle, lugging their packs.

"Good luck, guys," Peter said when they had exited his vehicle. He subsequently drove off in his trek back to Horizon.

As they watched Peter speed off, out of their sight, she announced, "You're on your own now. Let's get you two twined up." 

Reluctantly, Erika and Scott allowed Sophie to fasten the twine to one another. As she completed the final knot, the restraint put on them was not welcomed.

Erika raised her foot to test the restraint of the twine, unsure. She had made it very clear all throughout her stay at Horizon that she despised limitations. The twine was quite the hefty limitation.

"K, where we headed?" Scott asked Sophie.

"This way, guys."

Scott turned to Erika sharply. "We should get a move on, we don't need a fire this time of day, and food really isn't a problem now."

Erika looked at him strangely. "You've done this before, haven't you?" she said knowingly.

"Yeah, guilty. Let's go."

"Alright."

The two headed off in the direction Sophie had instructed them to take in an uncomfortable silence.

  
  


Peter Scarbrow drove back up to his school. He arrived, and got out of the Jeep, heading into the main lodge. He made his way to his office and found the phone ringing off the hook. He picked up the phone, and slumped into the chair behind his desk as he answered it. 

"Mount Horizon school, how can I help you?" Peter answered.

"Hello, I'd like to speak with the headmaster," the effeminate voice replied.

"This is Peter Scarbrow speaking."

"Oh hello, Mr Scarbrow, this is Jordana Lavalier, Erika's mother." A short pause proceeded. "How's she adjusting?"

"Well.." Peter began. "She got off to a rocky start, provoked a few fights, but she's beginning to adjust. She's off on a hike right now."

"I see. Well the reason I phoned was because I came across something of interest this morning that you might want to know about."

"And what was that, mrs Lavalier?" Peter asked.

"A letter in my mail, that I found curious. I found more of them stashed away in her room."

"What kind of letters, Mrs Lavalier?"

"Letters from her father," the woman stated.

"Uh huh? Would you like to fill me in here? I thought he lived out of state."

"He does. In prison."

This was news to Peter. He breathed a short sigh. "Did you have any knowledge that Erika was contacting her father?"

"None whatsoever," was the frank response.

"Did you open the letter?" Peter questioned.

"Oh yes. I want to know what a man convicted of murder has to say to my daughter."

"Murder? How come you didn't tell us about that before? I think it explains quite a bit of her behaviour," Peter explained.

"And how is that Mr Scarbrow?"

"She's angry, up until this moment, she was inexplicably angry. The state of her father is a likely the faucet of her anger."

"I don't even know where she got the address for her father's prison, Mr Scarbrow. I've never even told her his whole name."

"Did she have any kind of contact with her father before the letters, that you know of?" Peter questioned.

"No, none whatsoever. I tried my best to keep my daughter away from a murderer, a person I thought I knew but didn't. I even moved out of state to get further away from him." 

"Why did you fail to mention the identity of Erika's father up until now?" Peter said, exasperation seeping into his voice. He wasn't pleased that the woman had withheld such important information from him.

"I never mentioned her father to Erika, it wasn't a subject I was willing to talk about." Jordana Lavalier explained. "I didn't think it would be important, because as far as I've ever known, they hadn't had any contact whatsoever. But apparently, that assumption was wrong. You know, now that I think about it, she did ask about her father a few times throughout her life, but didn't get anything out of me. I thought it would be best if she never knew what her father had done. And not too long ago she asked again, put up quite the argument. I had told her that I had a restraining order against him and that there was good reason why she couldn't see him."

"Is there anything else you'd like to let me know about, Mrs Lavalier?"

"No, Mr Scarbrow. But what should I do with the letter?"

Peter furrowed his brows. "What did it say?" he asked.

"I'll get it now and read what it says. One moment," a pause lingered. A few moments followed and the voice returned. "I've got it, it's definitely in familiar handwriting. It says, 'Dear Erika, It's not what you think, kid.. It's not what you think. I know this has to be hard for you to understand, and I know it's weird coming from a man you haven't seen in what has seemed to me a lifetime, but it's even worse for me. My life the past few years have been the hardest of life in entirety. I'm sorry that you couldn't get to know me, the real me, and not just projections of what you must hear. I'm sorry for that. But thank you for writing. It means the world that you didn't forget about me, even though your mother has. She's not a bad woman, she just doesn't believe anymore. Write back soon. Signed Darryl Lavalier'." Jordana paused to take a breath. "I don't know what to think, Mr Scarbrow. And I don't know how she got away with it without me knowing."

"I think you should forward the letter to Horizon, and we'll make sure she receives it. Even though he is a convict, he deserves to hear from his daughter, Mrs Lavalier."

"He is not a good man."

"That doesn't change that she's his daughter."

It was a few moments before Erika's mother replied. "He's a murderer," she said bitterly. "He doesn't deserve to speak with his daughter."

"By the by Mrs Lavalier, how did you manage to keep Erika's father from visitations rights with her?" Peter questioned.

"I managed to convince the court it was best. After all, this is a man convicted on three counts of first degree murder."

Peter exhaled slowly, assessing the situation. "Will you forward the letter here or not, Mrs Lavalier?"

Another pause. "Alright, I will. But I hope you do know what you're doing."

"Thank you. I'll be sending you a weekly progress report in a few days."

"Alright, thank you. When will my daughter return from the hike?"

"She'll be back by tomorrow. Would you like to have a word with her?" Peter questioned.

"More than one. She's got some explaining to do."

"Alright. Could you phone back mid-afternoon tomorrow?"

"Certainly. Alright, thank you mr Scarbrow."

"No problem."

"Goodbye."

"Bye." 

Peter Scarbrow sat silently, pondering. He put his face in his hands. 

  
  



	15. Truth

Note: thanks for the reviewers who've ben consistently reviewing! thanx guys :) I find it amazing that after three years of cancellation of HG, even though it never should have been cancelled, the fans are still as eager for fanfiction as ever. lots of luv to y'all!

Scott and Erika were in the midst of trekking through the forestland in uncomfortable silence, tension lingered between the two. They didn't so much as look at one another.

Suddenly, Erika halted, causing Scott to nearly trip as a result of her abrupt action.

"What are you doing?" Scott demanded.

"Hey, Scott," Erika said suddenly.

"Yeah?" Scott asked, turning to her.

"Sorry- for what I said about Shelby."

"What?" Scott said, taken by surprise, wondering if Erika had just indeed apologized to him. He couldn't read her face.

She looked at him strangely. "She must mean a lot to you, huh?"

"She means the world," Scott stated, staring off into the distance.

  
  
  
  


Adrian was lounging on a couch in the main lodge, sketchbook and pencil in hand. He worked at it endlessly, meticulous with his detail. The room was warm and bright, with students scattered, and engaged in conversations. The day had just begun. Daisy roamed through the room, plopping down beside Adrian. 

"Colours, like features, follow the changes of the emotions," she announced.

Adrian glanced up from his work, and gave a tight smile to find Daisy next to him. "Hello, Daisy," he returned.

"It's expressive," Daisy observed, noting the gloomy colours that made the piece he was in the process of perfecting. The piece was a myriad of glum colours that swirled into a single shade. 

"Yeah. The colours represent how I'm feeling now," he explained.

"Not good, I take it?" Daisy questioned knowingly.

"Yeah," he admitted.

Daisy shifted in her seat. "Well, do you want to know what will become of it?" she asked.

"What?" Adrian asked, uncertain as to what she meant.

"Do you want to know what my tarot cards have to say?" she said bluntly.

"You read tarot cards?" Adrian asked skeptically.

"Yeah, and?" she replied defensively, removing the cards from a front pocket. She rested the mystical cards on her palm, and Adrian stared at them, transfixed.

"It's just that.. I've never even seen Tarot Cards before," he managed.

"Here," Daisy held out her prized deck to Adrian. He took it cautiously. "Take a look," Daisy continued. "There's 78 cards that make-up my deck, 22 major arcana, 56 minor arcana, and the fool."

"Wow," Adrian commented, studying the cards. "The illustrations on the cards.. they're fascinating."

"Indeed," Daisy agreed.

"Where did you get these?" he questioned suddenly.

"From my good friend Ezra," Daisy replied, breaking her gaze with Adrian. As her eyes drifted back to the artist, she found him studying her face curiously. "What?" she asked, furrowing her brows.

"Friend, huh?" he said, smiling.

"Yes. Do you want to hear what they have to say or not?" she said, irritated with the antic.

"Alright," he replied, handing her back the tarot cards.

Daisy laid out her cards on a nearby table. She shuffled them, and placed them in a single stack. She cut the cards to the left and restacked them. She flipped over the card that was at the front of the deck. It was revealed to be the image of a man that hung upside down with a bright glow at his head. "Interesting," she commented.

"What is it?" Adrian questioned nervously.

"The hanged man. It signifies release."

"Release?" he replied skeptically.

"Release," she repeated. "Having an emotional release, accepting what is."

"So that's what's coming? Release?" there was a strange note in his tone.

"Release. What, would you have preferred The Tower, or better yet, Death?" she questioned sarcastically.

"How do you derive release from a hanged man?" Adrian inquired, still skeptical.

"We see in the Hanged Man the dependency on the Cosmic Tree of Life," Daisy replied simply.

Adrian chuckled at her response. "I won't pretend to understand that," he said.

"Good," Daisy affirmed. "I'm not amused with hypocrisy."

"Truth advocate?" 

"With everything I've done, I've done it truthfully," Daisy began. "When I decided to hide from the world, I wore a mask for all the world to see. What did I care what they thought. I didn't hold back when I vented my anger on my father. Hypocrisy isn't my style."

"Neither is it mine," Adrian reassured.

"You couldn't hide yourself if you tried," she said, knowingly.

"How so?"

"Art- it reflects life. Art is truthful, whether you want it to be, or not. Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life. Even if you hid yourself from the world, your art wouldn't," she explained.Adrian paused to think, and glanced towards the piece he had been working on. "Yeah, I could agree with that," he said finally. 

"Let's see it," Daisy said, motioning towards his sketchbook.

"You want to see my art?"

"Yes."

Adrian gathered his book and placed it on her lap. "Here," he said.

Daisy flipped through the book idly, glancing towards the artist as she paused at certain pieces. She finally stopped at a bold, strongly coloured, hard-stroked piece that poured with emotion. She turned to him. "I was right, wasn't I? About all of it," she said sympathetically. 

"Yeah, you were," he said quietly.

"Producing art is just another way of keeping a diary, it reflects life. This one.." she began, motioning to the piece she had stopped at, a depiction of a child weeping. The colours were sombre, and the mood was gloomy. The background was fogged up. "This one is almost painful to look at, not because it's badly drawn- but because it's so brutally honest."

"Since when are you an art critic?"

"I'm not. I just have eyes that can see. And eyes that can see what will come," she tapped the tarot cards. "You must have been in absolute anguish when you produced this one."

"I was.. In the worst misery you can imagine. It was the night my mom- when she committed suicide. I didn't knew what to do with myself. So I did the only thing I knew how to do. I drew. And cried. Endlessly." Adrian continued, "The child there," he said, "it's me."

"Loss of innocence," Daisy whispered.

Adrian looked away from the girl who could discern everything.

"You know what it was, don't you?" she said, empathetically. "It was release. Art is a form of expression. This is a piece that's boiling over with emotion. You sacrificed accuracy of form to emote expression."

"Thank you," he said genuinely.

Daisy shook her head. "It's mere truth."

Adrian smiled slowly. "Thank you, Daisy." he repeated seriously. "It means a lot that you could interpret my art like that."

"Well, you're certainly welcome. Although I find it more than a little depressing, that one must be thanked for speaking the truth."

"Not everyone doesn't believe in hypocrisy," he said. 

"True enough." Daisy agreed. "But that's just the hard truth of reality. The world is polluted with endless problems that we, as a society create, that lies, and false hopes create. Not everyone is well-intentioned. Not everyone understands the importance of truth." 

"I'm glad I'm not the only one," he said. 

"Truth- the one purity in life."


	16. Idle

"C'mon guys, we came to play a game," the tall Ridgerunner, Daniel, taunted as he easily dribbled the basketball through the Cliffhangers. The ball went soaring into the net with a quick lay-up. 

"Yeah, what do you call this?" one of his teammates questioned the opposing team.

"Ah, we gotta be easy on y'all sometimes," Auggie replied, though he knew it was complete trash that he spoke. Shelby, Katharine, Ezra and him were losing the basketball game to the Ridgerunners with an embarrassing score.

"This- is being easy?" Daniel taunted. "More like pathetic. Where's the blond bitch when you need her, huh?"

Auggie's head snapped up. "What are you talking about, man?"

Shelby approached the tall Ridgerunner, pissed with what she believed to be her new title. "That's my new title, huh? Blond bitch. I don't even know you! You better not be talking about me or I swear- "

"Not you, Blondie," Daniel replied, amused and irritated both, "the one who tried to tackle me on the soccer field a few days ago. Taller than you, hard arm.."

"Oh.. Erika," Auggie said in realization.

"Is that her name?" Daniel began. "Well, where the hell is she? I haven't seen her around."

"Why do ya need to know, man?" Auggie questioned.

A serious, determined expression came over Daniel's countenance. "I owe her a bloody nose," he replied.

"Uh huh?" Auggie replied, not liking the turn the game had taken.

"Well, good luck," Ezra said, chuckling as he remembered the sight of Erika tackling Daniel to the ground.

"You don't think I can take on a girl?"

"That's so immature, and not to mention stupid," Kat burst in. "It was her first day here. She was angry, just get over it."

"Yeah, seriously," Shelby put in, relieved it wasn't her.

"Man, just leave it," Auggie said. "It don't matter."

"She got in a punch that hit my nose, and it starts bleeding, and I'm whisked off to the infirmary. I have her to thank for that. She's not gonna get away with it," Daniel warned.

"And we lose to you guys because of it," one if Daniel's friends on the court put in. "What a joke. And why? Because some bitch decided to take on our team's star player."

"That's me, by the way," Daniel informed Auggie smugly.

"Listen, man- " Auggie began.

"He's just worked up because he was sent to the infirmary by a girl. Actually, I wouldn't have minded," Ezra said, smirking.

Auggie turned to Daniel seriously. "Don't you touch her, man," he warned. "She was just playin'."

"Stay out of my way," Daniel said to Auggie. "I wasn't sent to the infirmary by a girl! I'm not gonna take that."

"Embarrassed huh? Don't think for a minute that you're better than us," Kat said, putting an companionable arm around Shelby's shoulders.

"She ain't no ordinary girl, man," Auggie said, feeling somewhat exasperated. "Look, can we just get back to the game?" 

"Yeah, we have a comeback to make," Shelby commented.

"More like a miracle," Ezra said to her unseriously.

Daniel didn't budge. "Where is she?"

"Doin' Buddy hike back. Listen, man-" Auggie began.

"I'll get her later," Daniel shrugged it off. 

"Hey dude, you done yet?"

"Yeah, we're killing them so bad!"

Daniel turned to the Cliffhangers. "Guess without Scott scoring, and the blond bitch taking out players, you all are just a bunch of jokes."

"You're asking for it, man," Auggie warned.

"Lay off me, man. This doesn't even involve you."

"If you do go after Erika like you say you will," Kat said, "you're even less of a man than you think you are."

Daniel turned to her. "Yeah, and how is that?"

"Pride isn't strength."

"You wanna find out? That's what I thought."

"Man, I have had it with you," Auggie said, and tackled him down.

"Guys, stop it!" Kat yelled, attempting to drag Auggie out of the fight. Daniel was quite a bit bigger and better built than her friend. "Auggie, he's not worth it, come on."

Auggie jumped up and confronted Kat. "He wants to mess with one of us, Kat. Listen, I don't care if she's a newbie, or if that title he gave her fits her perfectly. She's still one of us, she's family."

"He's right," Ezra put in.

"Just don't get yourself on shuns because Erika can take care of herself. Too well, in fact," Kat stated.

"She can't take care of herself when she ain't here," Auggie argued.

"Yeah, okay," Shelby agreed. "But c'mon guys, we have a game to play, and some asses to beat."

"Maybe we should just wait until Scott and Erika come back and we'll challenge them to a tournament. We're not as strong a team without them," Ezra said.

"We ain't givin' up, ya hear me?" Auggie stated, shifting his eye contact from each Cliffhanger. His own eyes were filled with determination. "Now come on." 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Erika and Scott trudged along their hike awkwardly, not having anything to say to one another. They sat down on a nearby log, still tied to one another.

"I'm hungry," Erika said finally.

"I know at least one thing in here that's edible," Scott replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah, what's that?" Erika questioned.

"There's this plant that Sophie showed me and David last time we were out here."

"David? Who's that?"

"Oh, just this guy that lived to tick people off," Scott replied, a grin coming over his face at the memory of this boy.

"So what is this plant?" Erika said, not faking any kind of enthusiasm.

Scott reached over to one of the cedar trees, still seated. He grasped the leaf. "Here," he said, handing the piece to Erika.

Erika rolled the piece of plant over in her hand. She put it to her nose and inhaled its scent. Her nose wrinkled at the strong cedar smell. "Ergh, I'm not eating this crap! I'd rather starve."

Scott turned to her. "We gotta get through the day, you know. There's no Subway's around the corner."

"I'll eat whatever the hell this is later. Right now, I prefer starving," Erika replied stiffly, determined that she would not eat the edible, although tasteless plant.

Scott shrugged. "Suit yourself," he replied.

Erika straightened her posture. "I will," she stated.

"You do that," Scott said nonchalantly. He reached over to the cedar trees and ate a few pieces of the plant.

Erika grew impatient, and stood. "K, let's get out of here," she said.

"I'm not done yet," Scott replied, having no intention of budging.

"Well, that's just too bad," Erika said, attempting to yank Scott back onto their course.

Scott stood, becoming irritated with her antics. "You gonna make this difficult?" he asked outright.

Erika stood a few moments longer, but seated herself back down as Scott feasted on the cedar. "Fine, whatever," she replied. "Eat all that shit you want."

"I will." He held out his palm, that contained the plant. "C'mon, try it," he persisted.

"How about no."

"C'mon, I thought you weren't afraid of anything, thought you couldn't feel," Scott said.

Erika dismissed his words. "Well you thought wrong."

Scott paused, realizing what she had just stated. "Decided you were human, huh?"

"Yeah, I did," she replied seriously.

"Yeah? How'd you do that?" he continued munching on the cedar.

"I started thinking the first few yards that I ran. Figured it out," she stated simply, not offering any semblance of details.

Scott kept his palm open to her. "C'mon, Erika, it's a plant."

"Scott, just shove it down your throat and be done already. I'm not eating it, and that's all there is to it."

"You're missing out.." Scott said, grinning.

Erika met his gaze. "Scott, shut up."

"What? You gonna make me?"

"You know, I really don't feel like I need more shuns, so bag it."

"Peter must have a field day with punishments when it comes to you," Scott commented.

"Like you can't believe. The guy lives for that stuff."

"Yeah, I know. You should hear the kind of stuff I got into my first day here," he said, chuckling at the memory.

Erika put her hands on her lap. "Let's hear it."

"Ran, broke into some house, trashed the place, broke a few lamps, banged up a computer.. You get the picture. I was Frank's personal messenger boy for what seemed like forever. I was constantly surveyed, had a minute to shovel the crap in the cafeteria in my mouth, was on restriction.. Yeah, I know too well. You know, when you just go by Peter's rules, crazy as they are, you make things easier on yourself."

Erika reflected before she responded. "Yeah, maybe."

Scott rose, brushing away the remainder of the tasteless plant. He awaited for Erika to stand also, to signify that she, also was ready to depart again. "You coming?" he asked after a few moments.

"You didn't think you could get rid of me did you?"

"C'mon, let's get out of here."


	17. Evasive

"You play sports, right?"

Erika and Scott sat idly, taking a much-needed rest. It was midday, and Erika still hadn't eaten. They were engaged in idle conversation. Erika picked at the grass as she responded. 

"Yeah, before I was kicked off all the teams," she said coolly. "I lived for sports."

Scott looked at her in a somewhat new light. "Cool, me too. For me it was football."

"Soccer."

"Yeah I saw you going at it in that game against the Ridgerunners. Did you ever play any football?"

Erika returned a blank stare. "Why?" she questioned. 

"We need some more competition at Horizon," he responded, grinning.

"Well," she began, "I was on the school team, before I decided I didn't care about shit and cut class, and coach threw me off. But what the hell did I care?"

It was a moment before he replied. "Why'd you do it?" he asked quietly, seeing eerie reminiscence in her story from his own past.

"What?"

"Decide you didn't care about anything?" Scott explained.

"Just, the stuff that was going on in my life... I have no reason to care about anything." she answered. She cleared her throat. "I'm working on it."

"So you wanna play a little football when we get back, see if your skills are still sharp?"

"Still sharp as ever, I can tell you that now."

"Great. We can have a match within the cliffhangers." 

"Yeah, okay," she replied in a monotone.

Scott sensed there was something in her tone. "What?" he asked. 

Erika rose. "We gotta keep moving. Soon we'll have to build fire."

"Oh, no problem, we got that covered."

"Well good, because I haven't got a clue."

Scott rose as well. "K, let's get out of here, see how far we can get before it gets dark."  
  


Scott and Erika trudged onward as Sophie suddenly emerged from their shadows. 

"You guys are faring pretty well!" she said suddenly, making her presence known. Erika and Scott both jumped and turned at the sudden sound of her voice. "Good work guys," she continued. " I guess experience does come in handy, huh Scott?"

Scott wasn't particularly enthused with the question. "What? Yeah." 

"It's getting dark, guys. Scott, don't tell me you've forgotten completely how this works," Sophie said, continuing, walking beside the two students.

"Fire- we need to make a fire," Scott said in realization.

"That's what I was pointing to. Erika? How are you holding up?"

"Alright, I suppose," Erika replied nonchalantly. 

Sophie smiled. "Guess it wasn't as bad as you thought, huh?"

"We have to get some firewood," Scott declared.

Sophie paused. "Scott," she said, "I'll allow you to untie the twine for a few minutes in order to gather the firewood. I need a minute to speak with Erika."

"Did you actually say I could untie the twine, or did I just imagine it?"

Sophie merely smiled. "Only for a few moments, Scott."

Scott quickly untied the twine from his leg, turning to his counsellor in gratitude. "Freedom!" he assessed.

"The firewood," Erika reminded him. Scott nodded and scrounged for branches laying about.

Sophie and Erika sat down. Erika was, to Sophie's surprise, the first one to speak. She stared off into the distance as she did. "You know, it's actually kind of nice outside, you know with all the plants and things. And I've never been much of an outdoorsy person," she said.

Sophie smiled genuinely. "Realized you've been missing out huh? So how are you guys doing for food?"

Erika shrugged. "I haven't eaten once today."

Sophie stared Erika down in concern. "Erika- you need to eat something," she said.

"I'm not eating the shit Scott's eating. It looks even less edible than that lame-ass excuse for food they serve at Horizon."

"You're missing the point, Erika," Sophie replied pointedly. "This is about learning to survive without all the things you take for granted. It's a real survival mission."

"Well, I guess I'm surviving without food. That's survival. I can wait until morning." 

"Erika, that's not healthy," Sophie warned.

"Who cares? The state my body's in is nothing compared to my mind."

Sophie stared intensely at the difficult student. "You want to talk?" she asked softly.

Erika smirked. "I'm not going to," she said nonchalantly.

"Why not?"

"I wouldn't know how, I wouldn't know where to start, I wouldn't know where it would end," Erika stated, refusing eye contact with her counsellor.

"I can help you with it," Sophie offered.

Erika looked at Sophie defiantly. "You could only try."

Sophie furrowed her brows. "So what's this about, huh?"

"Life," Erika answered simply.

"You have to be a little more specific than that."

"Sorry. Can't help," Erika said.

"You don't need to do this to yourself, you know?"

"I am more than aware. I choose to torture myself, slow and painfully."

Sophie Becker stared at the student with sympathy, but without comprehension. "Do you think that'll help what's eating at you?" she asked.

"Sophie, I know you're well intentioned. But you can't help me."

"Why not?"

"Because it's a lost cause. I am the way I am."

"Do you like that person?"

"Who cares? I'm stuck with her. But I can deal with it."

"Are you sure about that?"

"That person is strong, that person takes nothing from nobody," Erika reassured.

"I see." Sophie sighed, somewhat hopelessly, knowing that Erika would not give up easily. She glanced around to find that Scott had returned with an armful of branches. "Well looks like Scott's back. I'll give you some room."

Erika smiled genuinely, a gesture Sophie found curious. "I appreciate it," Erika said.

Sophie shook her head. "No problem," she replied. "Scott- I'll tie you guys back up."

"How thoughtful of you," Scott replied. 

Sophie smiled at the remark. "Anytime."

  
  
  
  
  
  


Night had fallen, and Scott and Erika had set up their sleeping bags, untied, free of the bind. It was completely dark, the veil of darkness had fallen. Erika hadn't found sleep with her stomach growling as it was. Scott sat upright in his sleeping-bag, and looked to be deep in thought. Erika sat up also. Sophie was asleep nearby.

"Can't sleep?"

Erika turned to her speaker. "No," she answered. "You know, I'm really hungry."

"You know where to find the cedar plant."

"Scratch that- I'm not hungry anymore."

Erika could hear Scott chuckling. "What's up with you anyways?" he asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Messing with everyone you can," he explained.

Erika sighed. "It's just so I'm not the one getting messed. That's all there is to it."

"You know, I don't think so."

"You know, Peter threatened to take me to juvie if I didn't get my shit together." Erika changed the subject. "You ever been to juvie?" she asked.

"No, but I heard enough about the place that I know I'd rather be here," Scott said.

"Yeah. Nothing like taking the easy way out."

Scott shook his head. "I got the only thing that means anything to me here. I'd never leave her if I could help it. Almost did though."

Erika arched an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked.

"Yeah. My dad wanted to take me out of Horizon, and I left this place. But I came back for her."

Erika was at a loss for words, not knowing what to make of what he had just said. "Wow. That's.. that's nice," she managed.

Scott sighed. "Yeah."

"Listen, I'm a real jerk for saying what I said. You forgive me, Scott?"

"Do you mean it?" he asked.

"Yeah. I didn't know then, okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

A pause lingered, before Erika broke the silence. "You must really like her."

"Like you can't imagine, Erika," he answered, wishing he could have been at the docks with Shelby that very moment.

"You love her?" Erika asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Scott admitted.

"How are you sure?"

"What do you mean?"

Erika swallowed. "How do you know it's love? Do you believe in it?"

"Yeah. I just know. It's the way I am around her, you know? She makes me want to be a better person. You don't believe in love?"

"I dunno. I've had some rough experiences in love and relationships and all that shit."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Like what?" Scott asked.

"Like things I don't feel like talking about," Erika replied stiffly.

"Yeah, ok."

"Alright then."

Another pause lingered between the two. "You know, you and Shelby are more alike than you know," Scott said suddenly.

Erika rolls her eyes. "You know Scott, there is more to a person than their physical attributes.."

Scott interrupted Erika's words. "She was initially just this hard shell that no one could get through to. It was hard for to communicate with Shelby at first, but she comes around, eventually. She took a while, for me."

"And? It was worth it?"

"What? To wait for her to come around? Hell yeah."

Erika reflected before she responded. "Hm," she began. "Not sure I understand that, but ok. You have something really good, Scott, even if I don't like her. You talk about her like she's some kind of.. god." 

"She is. To me. I guess you weren't kidding when you said you had some rough experiences in relationships and stuff. We all do, you know."

Erika resisted the urge to smack him. "Yeah, right. It must have been awful hard for you, huh. Listen, I don't expect you to understand, we're not having this conversation, Scott."

"Listen, Erika. My life isn't perfect, or else I wouldn't be here."

"You CHOSE to be here."

"I had some pretty messed up parents, and step parents. My dad did some pretty messed stuff," Scott said, purposely evading the details.

"Yeah, well, you at least had a father growing up."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"At least you had some kind of figure," Erika began, not heeding her words. "At least someone cared enough about you not to go fuck up and land.."

"Yeah..?"

"Oh, fuck this."

"Listen, I don't think you're right," Scott said. "Is having a bad father better than not having one, really? I'm not so sure. Shelby would tell you, no."

"You don't want to know the kind of shit my dad got himself into," Erika argued. "Trust me, you're lucky."

"I still don't agree," Scott returned. "Just because my dad's in my life, doesn't mean he cares all that much. Doesn't mean he knows anything, or wants to. If my dad was never in my life.. I'd probably be at high school right now, playing football.."

"Dating cheerleaders, I know, and I don't care, Scott."

"I didn't ask you to, you know," Scott replied defensively. "You don't seem to care about much."

"It's hard to care about things when you don't have anything. It's hard to care about your father when he's the piece of shit that he is."

"And what's that?"

"What? What kind of shit do you mean?" Erika questioned. 

"Yeah. You've been rambling this whole time and I still don't know what you're talking about," Scott replied blatantly.

Erika refused to answer him. "You know, I didn't even know he existed until like a few months ago."

"Ok, whatever. You don't wanna tell me, I don't care. It's your life. I'm tired," Scott said, exasperated, shifting in his sleeping bag so he wasn't facing Erika.

"Good, because I wasn't planning on telling you anyways," Erika replied, lying down in her sleeping bag also.

"K, great. Night."

"Night."


	18. Need

Scott and Erika awoke to the morning sun, with Sophie nudging them awake. 

"Time to get up, guys."

"What time is it?" asked a groggily awake Erika.

"7am. We're running late."

"7 am is late? What planet are you from?" Erika said, rolling over in her sleeping bag. "Go back to your home planet."

"Erika, get up now. You too, Scott. We have to get going."

Scott dragged himself out of his sleeping bag. "C'mon, I actually want to get back, Erika."

It was a few moments before the party was trudging forward once more, thanks, in large part, to Erika's reluctance to awaken. Sophie rebound the twine, and they were off.

"You only have a few miles to go," Sophie said as they traversed the forestland.

"Only," Erika said, incredulous. "This is worse than cross country."

"Nah," Scott disagreed. "In Cross Country you have to run. Here, we can slack as much as we want and we're not ragged on by the coach."

"Yeah, but in 'buddy hike back', you're burning off what you never even ate. You know, I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait to eat that shit they serve at the cafeteria."

"It's not that bad," Sophie said defensively. "Erika, you need to eat something. You look like you're about to pass out."

"I'm not going to pass out, alright? Let's just get out of here."

Sophie halted the group as she found some edible leaves and things in the forest. "Erika," she said, returning to the group. "I want you to eat this." She opened her palm to Erika.

Erika returned a blank stare. "I'm fine," she said stubbornly.

"What have you been living off of the past day, Erika? Water?"

"Yeah, and I'm doing fine."

"No, you're not," Sophie replied insistently. "You need to eat."

Reluctantly, Erika reached for a few morsels from Sophie's open palm. "This is really brutal, you know," she said.

"I'm more than aware," Sophie replied, unmoving.

"You get used to it," Scott stated distantly.  
  


As the group had begun again on their hike, before leaving the two to their own, Sophie noted, "You two look as though you've resolved your issues."

"Yeah," Scott replied.

"Have you?"

"Yeah, I guess," Erika replied. "It was stupid."

"Scott?" Sophie questioned.

"Yeah, it was stupid," he answered.

"What was 'it' exactly?"

Erika replied in a monotone. "We just got in a fight because I didn't really get where Scott stood." 

Sophie arched an eyebrow. "That's your excuse huh?"

Erika shrugged. "It's all I've got," she said.

"Scott?"

"Yeah?" he returned.

"Do you agree?" Sophie questioned.

"Sure, whatever."

Erika, Scott and Sophie eventually made it back to Horizon. Peter was there to greet them. 

"Good work, guys," he assessed at their arrival. "So how was your first Horizon outdoors experience, Erika?"

"It was nothing," she replied.

"Good. Erika, I'd actually like to have a word with you in my office, when you're able," Peter requested.

Erika rolled her green eyes. "Ok, how much could I have done while I wasn't even here?"

"You haven't done anything, I'd just like to have a word with you. It's important, so I'd appreciate it if you'd hurry," Peter explained.

Sophie interrupted, "I think she should actually take a visit to the cafeteria first."

Peter furrowed his brows. "Yeah? You want to tell me about it?" he asked Sophie.

Sophie shook her head in concern. "She's eaten almost nothing the past day."

"The cafe sounds like a good first stop, then," Peter directed to Erika. "Soph, a word?"

"Yeah, alright," Sophie said. The two headed back to his office.

Erika turned to Scott. "See, Scott? He even punishes me for doing nothing," she said sarcastically.

Scott chuckled. "You mess with him, he messes you back. Learned that early on here."

"Heh, we'll see about that."

"Just don't mess with him when he doesn't plan on messing with you. Then you're just messed."

"Damn," Erika began, "I've never been this hungry in my entire life. See ya around." she took off in the direction of the cafeteria. 

"Yeah, see ya," Scott answered and headed off in his own direction. But it wasn't the boys dorm.. 

Shelby, Kat and the rest of the Cliffhanger girls lounged in their dorm. It was midday, when the door suddenly burst open. 

"Hey Shelb!" the speaker was revealed to be none other than Scott Barringer. 

Daisy smiled to herself as a huge grin came across Shelby's face. "Hey! Scott!" she said, smiling, and walked up to her beau. "How was the buddy hike back?"

A grin spread across Scott's face as one alighted Shelby's. "It was fine, actually," he responded. "The girl's not totally insensitive after all."

"Well, uh, great!" Shelby replied. "Where is she anyways?"

"In the cafeteria, if you can believe it," Scott grinned.

Shelby laughed. "She's not going there to eat is she?"

"Yeah, she ate practically nothing out there. Well I'm just comin' by. See ya in a little bit," he said and departed from the room. 

"Yeah, see ya," Shelby returned quietly.

Shelby turned back towards her bunk, to be confronted with Daisy's voice. "I hope you know what you have," Daisy stated.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't take him for granted," Daisy responded.

"I don't. He's my whole life."

Daisy's eyes drifted back to her tarot cards. "Just checking," she responded.  
  
  
  


Erika sat, slouched, in a chair in Peter's office. Peter sat in his desk, scrutinizing the student before him. 

"Erika," Peter began. "How are you doing?"

Erika returned a fierce, irritated stare. "Get to the point. What's so important?"

Peter sighed, trying to find the right words to begin. "Erika, what can you tell me about your father?" he asked.

Erika blinked. "Excuse me?" she demanded.

"Your mother phoned while you were away," Peter stated.

"What the hell did she want?"

"Erika, allow me to finish," Peter said, exasperated. "And you know that profanity isn't tolerated here. She found a letter addressed to you from your father. Know anything about that?"

"What the hell does she care?" Erika said, irritated. "She was practically begging for me to contact Dad."

Peter looked at Erika curiously. "How is that?" he asked.

"By driving me as far from him as she could," Erika replied fiercely. "A girl needs her father. I don't care what he was convicted for."

"Do you understand why your mother wanted to keep you from him?"

"Yeah, she thinks he's a lame-ass excuse for a person."

Peter furrowed his brows. "Are you suggesting that he's not?"

Erika maintained her determined stare. "He said that he didn't do it," she replied.

Peter sat back in his chair. "Do you believe him?" he asked simply.

"I don't know. How the hell am I supposed to know?" Erika rose to demonstrate her frustration. "I don't know what to think. My mom is such an overprotective bi-" 

"Erika," Peter warned. "You want to quit it with the profanity, or would you prefer a week chopping wood? One more word of profanity out of your mouth and the woodshed will become your second home."

"Yeah, I hear you."

Peter paused. "How did you come in contact him?" he questioned eventually.

Erika smirked. "It's amazing what you can find snooping through your mom's files and shit," she replied, not heeding her words.

Peter sighed in exasperation. "A week of wood-chopping it is."

"You know what?" Erika began, raising her voice, "Screw this. Whatever. I give you the truth for once and you pile on the chores."

"It's not for telling the truth that I rewarded you with chores. It's for how you told it. Next time, try it without the profanity. Don't say I didn't warn you," Peter stated. He paused before he continued. "Your mom wants to speak with you today. She wants an explanation."

Erika shot her headmaster a look. "Tell her to go fuck herself," she said, departing from the room. 

Peter slumped in his chair as he tried to make sense of what had just occurred.


	19. Acquainted

Erika trudged out of Peter's office, thoroughly enraged. Her temper was short, and her strides, swift. She truly didn't know what to do with herself. She was confused about her situation with her father, nerved with her mother's request, and irritated with Peter constantly on her case. She felt in need of a punching back, or some kind of way that she could vent her anger.

Erika ventured out onto the grassy fields of the school, but to find they were vacated, empty. It was quiet, and serene. She spotted a basketball lying around idly, and picked it up. She dribbled the ball, and loped towards a basketball court. She took shots at the net, to occupy her time. She loved sports, loved the way she could channel her strength through the games. Her shots swept through the basketball net and she retrieved the ball, and took her place once more.

"Ooh, a three-pointer."

Erika turned to meet the voice behind her. To none of her surprise, there was Sophie Becker, with her hands on her hips.

Erika turned and returned to shooting hoops. "What are you doing?" Erika asked nonchalantly and took another shot at the net.

"You're supposed to be in class, Erika," Sophie said sternly.

"Whatever."

The ball bounced off of the rim of the basketball net, and Sophie caught it easily. "Erika," she repeated. "Class is waiting."

Erika didn't budge. Moreover, she took a defiant stance and set her hands on her hips. "Not for me," she replied.

"Yeah?" Sophie said, looking into Erika's eyes. "Do you want to talk?"

Erika stifled a laugh. "Hardly," she replied.

"Your attitude isn't making things any easier for you," Sophie warned. 

Erika fed her a blank stare.

Sophie sighed. "You haven't seen Adrian around, have you?" she asked.

A look came over Erika's face. "Adrian? Who the Hell is that?"

"Have you two not met? He arrived few days ago."

"Never heard of him."

"Well if you refuse to go to class," Sophie began, changing the subject, placing the basketball she held into a bag nearby that contained the other sports equipment, "I'll show you to the woodshed, and you can get ahead on your chores

"Not happening."

"It's one or the other, your choice," Sophie stated, folding her arms. "At least I'm willing to compromise. You do neither, and it's Peter you'll have to compromise with."

"What the hell do I care?" Erika replied.

"Erika, you will come with me now."

"I'm coming, jeez."

Sophie smiled in triumph. "Good," she said.

Sophie showed Erika to the woodshed. "It's like this," Sophie began. "Place the block of wood on here and take a whack at it. And for your own sake, be careful."

Erika smirked, and placed a piece of wood on the stump. She held the axe, and wildly swung it down on the wood.

"Fuck!" was her immediate invoked reaction. She had indented the stump, not the wood. Erika pulled the axe from the stump and held it, frustrated.

Sophie put a hand on Erika's shoulder. "You'll get it eventually," she said reassuringly, smiling. She was subsequently gone, to search for Adrian.

Eventually, after more than a few wild, off swings, Erika got the hang of the fluid motion, and was chopping wood like a machine. She actually was somewhat enjoying it, certainly more than she would have if she had gone to class. 

But after a while, her arms tired, and she set the axe down. She leaned her back against the woodshed, deciding what to do. 

Erika ventured outside the woodshed, and found the fields to now be filled with students, students playing sports, walking around idly, taking up picnic tables. It was now alive with life. 

"Erika! Heads up!"

Erika's head snapped up to find a football flying towards her. She caught it with ease, and glanced towards the source. Some of the Cliffhangers were playing a game of football with some of the other students. She threw it back towards them.

Scott caught it, and called, "Hey, you comin' to play?"

"Not now I'm not. Later, maybe," Erika answered as she loped off.

Scott shrugged and resumed the game between the students. 

Erika headed for the girl's dorm at a jog, adamant to take a shower. Suddenly, her feet came in contact with an obstacle, and she nearly tripped.

"Shit. Where'd you come from?" she demanded at the raven-haired boy who had sat in her path unknowingly.

A strange look came over his face. "Uh, I didn't come from anywhere," he answered.

"Well what the hell are you doing on the ground?"

He lifted his sketchbook. "Sketching," he replied

"Artist huh?" Erika observed. "I couldn't draw if my life depended on it."

He replied slowly. "Everyone can draw, I just see things differently."

"Yeah, whatever. What's your name again?"

"Adrian," he answered.

"Oh, so you're Adrian. Sophie's on a search for you."

He raised his eyebrows. "I know."

"I'm Erika. See you around," she said as she went off towards the girl's dorm.

"Yeah, sure." He stared after her as she departed.

Erika reached the girl's dorm, swung the door open. As she entered, she was greeted by Juliette.

"Hey Erika. You missed class, again."

Erika smirked. "I know," she replied. " Peter's a bitch."

Shelby smirked as she answered, "Tell us something we don't know."

Kat put in, "So how was the buddy hike back?"

Erika shrugged. "It was nothing. Boring as hell."

Daisy smiled cynically. "Well that's too bad. I quite enjoy horror stories of buddy hikes back."

"I think she needs some room, guys," Kat observed.

Erika caught her gaze. "You think?" she said sarcastically.

Shelby sat up in her bunk. "Oh, and Erika? You have a stalker who wants to return a favour."

Erika stared at Shelby blankly. "What the hell?"

"A bloody nose," Shelby replied. "You remember Daniel, right?"

Erika laughed aloud. "Oh, shit," she exclaimed.

Shelby nodded. "Yeah, that's about right."

"You know, this place has become so much livelier the past few days," Daisy noted.

Erika grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom in the dorm. "I need a shower," she said.

Shelby smirked. "Yes, you do."

Erika smirked back and threw a pillow at her.

  
  


Erika returned from the shower in some time, her just-washed hair wrapped in a towel. The dorm was somewhat quiet as she returned. She set her things down on her bunk. "Hey who's this Adrian kid anyways?" she asked suddenly, inquiring about the Cliffhanger she had encountered just minutes before.

Daisy looked up to her from her bunk."So you've become acquainted I see. He's just a new member in our happy little family." She smiled cynically.

"He's an artist," Juliette added enthusiastically. "Kind of cute, too."

"Yeah," Erika agreed.

Juliette smiled, widely. "Is that a crush, Erika?"

"You might want to rethink your little I-don't-feel speech."

"Chill, I just met the guy," Erika explained impatiently. "Nearly ran over him," she continued.

Shelby and Juliette laughed. 

"Yeah how'd that happen?" Kat inquired.

"He was drawing or whatever and me, I was running. Collision," Erika explained.

"Nice way to become acquainted," Daisy put in.

Erika smiled. "Hey, it works." 

Juliette giggled. "He is cute though, admit it."

"Yeah, alright, he's cute," Erika said. "Not my type though."

"So what is your type?" Juliette questioned.

"Well, it's not the artist type, I know that."

"You know, there's no such thing as an artist type," Juliette said. "I mean, look at Auggie."

Erika stared blankly. "Auggie's not an artist."

"He is. Really," Juliette began. "He's really good. Graffiti artist mostly, though. Who would have thought I'd end up with an artist?"

"You and Auggie?" Erika said, almost skeptically. "Wow, this place is all coupled up."

"Well there's not exactly much selection," Daisy put in.

"Daisy!" exclaimed Juliette. "You know that you and Ezra would make SUCH a cute couple."

"What does it matter?" Daisy questioned. "It'll never come into fruition, I make sure of that."

"Oh come on, he's not that bad," Kat tried to argue.

"That's not the problem."

"Well then, what is?" Juliette asked.

"I don't have boyfriends, I never have," Daisy replied curtly.

"You can start now, you know," Juliette began, still wearing an impossibly wide smile. "C'mon, you guys would be perfect for each other."

"Should I take that as a compliment? Just, give it a rest, Juliette. You're not going to change my mind," Daisy said decidedly.

"Meh, it was worth a shot," Juliette said in defeat.

"Not really."

There was a slight pause in conversation, until Kat turned to Erika as she was brushing out her damp hair."So what'd Peter do now, Erika?"

"Decided I could use another week of chores," Erika revealed. "Wood chopping now."

"C'mon, 'fess up," Juliette said to Erika. "What'd you do?"

"Profanity thing," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"You have a hard time following rules, dontcha Erika?" Kat observed.

"Please, what are you talking about? I'm a perfect angel."

Shelby smirked. "Yeah, sure."

"Oh, fuck this. I can't stand standing around," Erika said as she advanced towards the dorm's exit.

"Where are you going?" Juliette questioned.

Erika rolled her eyes. "To get acquainted with Adrian," she replied. And she was subsequently gone.

As Erika left, Juliette turned to the others, a broad smile on her face. "What do you think, girls?"

"They'd make a cute couple," Kat said nonchalantly.

"They're complete opposites," Shelby argued.

"It doesn't matter," Daisy opined. "It's not about similar personalities, it's about compatibility."

"Yeah. Who knows. It might just work," Kat said.

"We're totally getting ahead of ourselves. They might decide they hate each other and that'll be the end of it," Shelby said.

"She did say he wasn't her type," Juliette recollected.

"I doubt if she even knows what her type is," Shelby put in.

Daisy wore a tight smile as she replied, "Guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Juliette wasted no time. "Daisy, get those tarot cards out, now," she said.


	20. Depiction

Note: sorry, not much happens in this chapter! But here it is... there's going to be way more stuff happening in the next few chapters, and not just stuff with Erika. And all of y'all who review- you guys rock!

  
  
  
  


"Hey."

Adrian Garret glanced up from his sketch to meet the effeminate voice who had just commanded her presence. To his surprise, his eyes met Erika's.

"Hey," he replied nonetheless. "What are you doing?"

Erika sat next to him, with her arms dangling over her knees. 

"Sitting next to you," she replied. "What, is that a crime?"

"No, guess not," Adrian managed. "Are you in the Cliffhangers?"

Erika grinned. "Yeah," she began. "You just haven't seen me the past few days because I've been a pain in the ass the past few days and was paying for it."

"Are you new here too?" he subsequently asked. 

"Yeah," she said. "Just got here a few days ago," she added.

"So what do you think of this place?" he questioned.

She shrugged. "Fuck if I know. You?"

"I love it."

Erika's head snapped to face him. She was somewhat taken aback by his answer. "Whoa, strong statement there," she remarked. "Why?"

Adrian reflected before he responded. "It's like home," he said finally. "There's people I can actually relate to. The scenery is beautiful, too."

"Yeah, I guess that would appeal to you since you're an artist and all."

"It does," he agreed. "You don't think it's beautiful?"

Erika shook her head, but keeping his gaze. "It doesn't mean anything to me."

Adrian pointed towards the mountains that towered over all life. "Look. Look at the way the clouds hover over the mountains. Picture what it would be like to climb it, to reach the top and have your head in the clouds."

Erika shook her head. "See, I just don't think that way," she explained. "I'm not a dreamer."

Adrian stared at the girl before him with a knowing smile. "You know, I think the difference between you and I, is that I see the simple beauties in life. You're searching for them, but in vain."

Erika merely shrugged at his assessment. "Well, whatever."

Adrian flipped a page in his notebook. He shoved the notebook in her lap. "Here," he said. "Draw it."

Erika looked at him incredulously. "What? No."

"Why not?"

"I can't draw, and you know it," she said insistently. 

"What does it matter?" he replied. "Depicting real-life objects just heightens your awareness of detail. Makes you realize that beauty is all around you."

"Not happening," she said, like nothing he said could change her mind.

"Here," he said, turning to her. "Want me to help?"

Her look was still incredulous. "I'm not drawing it, Adrian."

Adrian's eyebrows furrowed. "Why not? What's the big deal." 

"It'll be a waste of time, and I can't draw anyways."

"Art is never a waste of time," Adrian said sternly, defensive. "Do you hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear your words fine,"Erika said, switching to biotch-mode. "It's too bad they're not registering."

"What are you doing here anyways, if I'm just wasting my time," Adrian said, transferring his gaze back to his notebook. 

A pause. "I don't know," she responded finally. 

Adrian furrowed his brows once again. "I deserve a better answer than that."

Erika rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll draw it," she said, giving in. "But you're the one making a big deal."

"Alright," he said. "Just draw what you see. You see the way the mountain looks like that? Just draw it as you see it," he explained. He reached over and stoked a pencil across the page. In a few more stokes, an outline of the mountain took shape. "Like this," he handed the pencil to Erika. "C'mon."

Erika took the pencil from him uncertainly. She scrutinized the paper in awe, and shifted her gaze to the boy who had formed the lines on the page. "You really know what you're doing huh?"

He returned her gaze. "What? Yeah, I hope I do. I've done it all my life. It's all that I know."

She continued staring, somewhat uncertainly. "It must be amazing," she began. "To know what you were put on this earth to do."

Adrian blinked. "I just consider myself lucky that I discovered it so soon," he said. 

"Everyday, I totally don't know what to do with myself."

Adrian was somewhat surprised at the statement. "Erika, what are you here for?" he asked outright.

Erika's stare switched to incredulous. "Excuse me?"

"Did I offend you?" Adrian questioned. 

"What the hell do you need to know for?" Erika demanded. 

"I don't," Adrian said. "I was just asking."

"Well," Erika said eventually. "I'll tell you one thing about myself. One reason I'm here. My dad- he's shit. I've never even seen him my entire life. I went behind my mom's back to contact him a few months ago. He lives in a prison. He was convicted of three counts of first degree murder. Can you believe that? Isn't it crazy?"

"Is he guilty?"

"How am I supposed to know. He said to me in letters that he was innocent, that.. Oh, whatever. I don't know what to think, honestly."

Adrian locked his gaze with Erika's. "I never knew my father either, you know. He died sometime around when I was born. I lived with my mom, we weren't too financially stable and moved around a lot. My one prized possession was this," he said, tapping the sketchbook. "But, you know, I was happy. I had my mom, she was such a strong woman. I have a lot of respect for that. But she committed suicide after some rough years. Life was hard, but she always told me never to give up. But she went and did it nonetheless. But I wouldn't dream of holding a grudge. I learned everything I know from her. She was somewhat of an artist, too. Not like me though, just in the way she saw life."

Erika blinked as she registered what he just told her. "So what happened?" she asked. 

"What, after my mom died?" he asked. Erika nodded. "I was sent to live with my uncle Malcolm," Adrian shook his head as he spoke the next few words that came out of his mouth, a slight smile on his countenance. "He didn't understand me in the least."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. So he sent me here."

Erika looked at him in a side-glance. "You glad?"

"Like you can't believe. This place is my sanctuary. That's not the way you see it, I know."

"Yeah. I really don't know what to make of it, honestly," Erika said.

"What is there to make of it? What do you mean?"

Erika just stared at him, shrugging. Her answer could not be put into words. She felt harbored by this place, but at the same time, she desperately sought life for herself. She wanted her father, strange as it sounded. Sure, he was a convicted murderer, but he was still a human being, wasn't he? Just because he committed some horrible act, didn't strip him of his place as her father.

"You know, you have such chiselled features."

Her head snapped to Adrian. "What the hell, Adrian?"

"Your face is so well proportioned. You have a strong jaw."

She stared at him incredulously. "Yeah? So? What the fuck is up with you?"

His blue eyes met her green. "Can I draw it?" he asked. 

Her stare turned all the more incredulous. "You want to draw my portrait?" she asked quietly. "What the hell for?" she demanded, her tone now loud.

"Do I have to have a reason?" Adrian questioned. "I want to."

"You're totally not making any sense," she stated.

Adrian's visage was unreadable. "Why does anything have to make any sense? Can I, or can I not?"

"Okay, you're freaking me out," she said. A slow, genuine smile subsequently spread across her face. "But alright, I s'pose you can."

Adrian smiled in response. "Thanks," he replied. "Just make sure you're facing me," he said, as he scrutinized her facial features and structure. "You have a beautiful profile, too," he commented. 

Erika rolled her eyes at the comment. "Adrian.. Do me a favour and shut up."

He merely grinned. "I'll do my best."

Adrian stroked his pencil across the page. Erika sat there, feeling somewhat stupid, and surprised with herself for sitting there idly as a cute boy she had just encountered drew her portrait.

"Do you always draw people you just meet?" she questioned idly.

Adrian shrugged. "If it's worthy of my time," he said.

"I'm worthy of your time?"

Adrian glanced up from his page to meet her curious gaze. "I'm drawing your portrait aren't I?"

"Yeah," she responded, an incredulous, small, smile forming on her features. "I'm not sure why, but what the hell."

"I'm just going to draw a quick sketch, ok?" Adrian informed his drawing model. "I'll try to be quick, so you don't have to wait around so long."

Erika shook her head. "I don't care, Adrian. It's not like I'm drawn everyday. And it's not like I have anything better to do."

"Alright," Adrian said, as he continued gliding his pencil across the page in small strokes. He moved the pencil to the side and used one face of the lead to continue. The technique produced soft, dark strokes on his paper.

"This feels so fucking weird," Erika commented as she watched him work. Never before had she seen a concentration so intense as an artist's.

"What, that your features are scrutinized and put onto paper?"

"Yeah, something like that." 

Adrian smiled slightly. "I promise, I won't make it look bad. With you as my model, however, I don't think it'd be possible."

Erika rolled her eyes in irritation. "Adrian, stop it."

"What?" he asked.

"Just, shut up and draw."

"Has no one ever told you how beau-"

Her gaze was commanding. "Shut up, Adrian, unless you want to be smacked."

His stare was somewhat bewildered, but his concentration returned to his work. "Alright," he said. He hadn't met many girls who were so irked at flattery, especially a girl as pretty as Erika. It wasn't like she exhibited a delicate or perfect beauty. It wasn't that at all. Her features were hard and angular, but there was a beauty there, in all its fierceness. It was in how her features were proportioned and conformed perfectly with her personality. It was in the depth and boldness of her eyes. It was a beauty unlike any he had ever seen, and he wanted to capture it. 

"Here, I'm done."

At the announcement that he had completed, Erika leaned over uncertainly to see his drawing. As she laid eyes on the depiction, her eyes widened. There was so much depth and tone in the picture, a portrait to her broad shoulders. It was thoroughly shaded and depicting. As Erika stared into the portrait, she saw herself reflected in the bold, fierce eyes. The shading provided heavy contrast to the pale skin tone. She stared in awe. He had her features depicted perfectly. From her angular jaw, to her protruding cheekbones, they were all drawn before her. In the picture, her pale blond hair was upswept into a ponytail, as it was at that moment. She studied her portrait further. Her full lips were in a sly smile, one eerily reminiscent of the one set on her countenance as she studied Adrian's work. 

As Erika tore her eyes away from the portrait, they turned to the boy who had produced the breathtaking depiction. She stared at him in awe and amazement. He had to smile at the look of wonder in her eyes. 

"Holy shit, Adrian," was all that left her lips.

He shrugged. "You can keep it if you want."

Erika nodded. "Thanks, yeah, I will. I don't know what to say."

He shrugged again, maintaining her gaze. "You said enough," he said merely.

"It's like I'm looking into a mirror, you know that? You're one hell of an artist."

Adrian smiled. "It's all yours."

"Thanks," she repeated. 

"You're welcome," he replied simply.

A solid gaze transferred between the two. It was interrupted when a figure came trotting over. 

"Hey, Erika, up for some ball?"

Erika looked over, irritated, at the figure, none other than Scott Barringer. 

"Yeah, just give me a minute," she said, not even glancing towards Scott. Her irritation was clear from her tone.

Seeing he had interrupted something, Scott said hurriedly, "K, see you on the field," and he trotted off.

Erika turned to Adrian, locking her gaze with his. "K," she began. "I gotta go put this away. Thanks, again."

She smiled, and he returned it. 

She began towards the girl's dorm once again, when she turned around to face her artist. "Oh, and Adrian?"

Adrian glanced up to her, "Yeah?" he asked. 

"Thanks."

"Anytime," he answered. Adrian smiled to himself as he watched her trot off to the girl's dorm.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Erika Lavalier entered the girl's dorm, to find the Cliffhanger girls crowded around Daisy's tarot cards.

Juliette glanced up as she entered the dorm. "Hey Erika. You're back early," she said.

Erika merely smiled broadly at the assessment, and walked over to her bunk to stash away Adrian's portrait of her. 

Shelby's brows furrowed at Erika's response. "What's up with her?" she asked to nobody in particular. 

Daisy smiled mysteriously.

It was then that Kat noticed the paper in which Erika held delicately. "What is that, Erika?"

"Oh this?" Erika said, lifting the portrait in all its splendour. "Adrian's doing."

"Oh my god!" Juliette squealed as she walked over to see it the drawing closer.

The rest of the Cliffhanger girls trailed after Juliette.

"Wow," Kat assessed.

"You know, I've been with Auggie for like a long time and he never did this for me," Juliette said to Erika. "It's so pretty!" Juliette continued. "Did you ask him to draw it for you or did he like, volunteer."

"He asked me if he could draw my portrait," Erika explained, as if still bewildered. "Yeah, I was confused too."

"So what happened?" Shelby questioned casually.

"Fuck if I know," Erika replied.

"Erika.." Kat began.

"No, seriously. I have no idea what the hell happened. It just did."

Juliette giggled.

"She's shy on the details, huh. I wonder what that could mean," Shelby contemplated. 

"You're getting way off track," Erika replied. "Anyways, I have to get out of here," she said, placing the picture onto her drawer. 

Shelby smirked. "Let me guess- the janitor's shed?"

Juliette giggled again. 

"No! I'm going to play football with Scott," Erika explained. 

"Yeah, sure you are," Shelby said.

Erika smirked and flung a pillow at her. She subsequently departed from the dorm. 


	21. Admonition

  
  


Juliette opened the office door ajar, uncertainly. "You wanted to see me?" she asked as she entered, and closed the door behind her. 

Peter glanced up from his paperwork from behind his desk. "You're not in trouble," he reassured her, putting down his paperwork.

Juliette sighed, and grinned broadly. "Well that's good news," she asserted.

"You've made a lot of progress recently. When you first came here, you were self-destructive, and had a lot of demons to deal with. You've got tools you never had before, and you conquered those demons, Juliette. We're all really proud of you."

Juliette continued smiling, like she couldn't stop if she wanted to.

"You've earned a visit home."

Juliette's eyes widened, and her smile broadened. "I get to visit home?"

"That's exactly it. Next weekend, your mom will be driving up here to pick you up," Peter explained. 

"I'm really going to have a weekend at home?" Juliette squealed.

"Yes, Juliette. You've made a lot of progress. "

"Thanks!" Juliette squealed as she fled from the room.

  
  
  
  


Erika and Scott stood on the grassy field, full of life. Erika held a football, passing it between her hands idly. Scott stood a number of feet from her. 

"Scott, k, want to do a few drills?" Erika called.

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay, run out, fake a right, but do a left hook," Erika explained.

"Yeah, ok," Scott replied. He subsequently ran out some feet, and faked a right turn. He expertly began a right hook with some skilled footwork. Erika threw the ball across the entire space that separated them, and Scott caught it above his head easily.

"Good catch," Erika commented. 

"It should be. Had 17 touchdowns my junior year."

Erika smirked despite herself. "Well, don't I care," she responded. 

As Erika was in the midst of throwing another pass, a tall, familiar figure came running over to her.

"Hey, are you Erika?" she turned to the speaker, as Scott awaited her throw.

She abandoned her task of throwing the football, and set her hands on her hips. "Yeah, who wants to know?" She didn't like the look in his eyes.

"I owe you this," the speaker said simply.

The next thing Erika knew, she was thrown off balance by a blow to her face. As she registered what had just occurred, her deadly gaze drifted to the tall figure before her. 

"You little shit!" she cussed. "What crawled up your ass?" she demanded. She subsequently advanced towards him and threw him a left hook that connected with his jaw.

As he watched what was taking place, Scott came over uncertainly. "What the hell is going on?" he asked. 

"Fuck if I know," Erika responded, looking as though she was barely containing her anger. "What the hell IS going on, huh?" she questioned Daniel.

"This is for the soccer fiasco," he said as he swung at her again, and they broke out into a full-out fight. 

Erika threw him to the grassy floor and hurled herself over him. She threw a blow to his eye, and many to his exposed stomach. He managed a few blows to her face. "He's avenging his bloody nose, I take it," she informed Scott casually.

In a few moments, Auggie came running towards them, yelling at Daniel, who was now pinned down on the grassy floor, "Hey, man, don't you touch her!"

"It's a bit late," Scott muttered to himself, still trying to comprehend what was happening. 

Auggie attempted to pull Daniel and Erika apart, but in vain. Erika jumped up, out of Daniel's swing. "Auggie? What the hell are you doing?" she demanded. "This is my fight.."

"No, it ain't," Auggie told her. "This guy messes with one of us, he messes with all of us."

Erika shoved Auggie aside. "I can do this on my own," she said as she punched again, and soon they were battling on the grass floor. A small crowd gathered around them.

"Guys, stop it!" Kat yelled feebly. "Someone's going to get hurt!"

Daniel managed to pin Erika down."The only reason you didn't get this," he said arrogantly as he threw a blow to her face, "before was because Peter stepped in."

But Erika recovered quickly, and rolled out of his grasp. She subsequently had him pinned him down, with all her body weight. "The only reason YOU," she hissed between her blows, "didn't get THIS," another blow, "before was because you were smart enough to stay away from me!" Her final statement was a heated shriek. 

As he saw a crowd gathered on the field, Adrian strolled over. "What's going on?" he questioned. 

Kat turned to him and responded, "Erika's.. taking care of some things."

Seeing the fight taking place, Adrian was somewhat taken aback. "What'd that guy ever do?"

Kat chuckled. "He asked for it. He really did."

"She's real good at taking care of herself," Adrian commented. 

"Yeah, too good in fact."

"How did she learn how to fight like that?"

"I don't want to know," Kat replied.

"Oh." 

"My office, now," boomed an angry voice, steering through the crowd that had gathered. None other than Peter Scarbrow. He pried the two apart successfully as they shared lethal stares.

"Whatever," Erika dismissed, rising. 

"You too," Peter informed Daniel.

  
  


Peter towered over the two delinquents as they were seated in his office. His stare was lethal, and spoke louder than any words could. He was pissed. "You want to explain what happened, Erika?" he demanded. 

"This dude here," Erika responded, indicating Daniel, seated beside her, "comes up to me and totally spazzes, what the hell am I supposed to do? Look cute while he uses me as his personal punching bag? Get real, Peter."

Peter turned to Daniel uncertainly. "Daniel?"

It was Erika who responded, fearlessly. "It was to avenge his bloody nose. I think I speak for everyone when I say-"

Peter didn't allow her to complete her sentence. "I'd expect better from you, Daniel," he interrupted. 

Daniel shrugged. His face looked swollen. "Well sorry to disappoint you man, but this girl messed with me too much."

"And how was that?" Peter questioned. 

"She made me look bad, and she's total trash," he replied as though it held some kind of conviction. 

"Trash that can kick your ass," Erika retorted hotly. She suddenly laughed aloud. "If you thought I made you look bad before.. Peter, remind us who was the one getting the shit kicked out of him?" 

"Enough, Erika. We have to get you two to the infirmary, first and foremost. We can resolve this in group."

"Please. Do I look like I need to go to the infirmary? This sack of roadkill, maybe but-"

Daniel just stared blankly, basking in his defeat. 

"You know what this teaches us?" Erika began.

Peter sighed. "What, Erika," he questioned nonchalantly, wondering if he really wanted to hear.

Erika turned to Daniel as she responded. She stared him dead in the eye, and asserted, "That just because you think you're the shit, doesn't mean you are the shit."

Peter sighed wearily. "Was anyone else involved?" he questioned.

"Nope, just us two. No one else is going to take credit for the newly humbled Daniel," Erika replied.

"Alright," Peter responded. "Dan, head up to the infirmary and get your face checked out. You'll likely have a black eye by tomorrow. You better pray that I'm feeling merciful." 

Daniel fled from the office at Peter's request, shooting a final glance towards Erika.

Erika rose, and Peter suddenly thought that she was going to go after Daniel. She stopped at the frame of the doorway. "You're welcome!" she called after Daniel. Her words echoed through the hall that he headed down. He turned around momentarily, and their eyes met, but she provoked no words out of him. She did however, provoke him to raise a certain finger.

"Erika, sit down," Peter instructed, irritated. He waited until she was seated and he had her full attention. "This is your 3rd fight in a matter of days. I am not going to go through this with you everyday. Are you sure you wouldn't prefer juvie? You seem pretty adamant in breaking the rules." 

"Listen, Peter. What did you expect me to do. It's not my fault that guy can't take getting beat up by a girl. He was begging for it. I plead self-defense." 

"I'm going to let this slide, but only because you weren't the one who picked the fight this time, and I commend you for that. But it doesn't change the fact that you didn't consider working out your differences with words, and at the first opportunity you headed in for the kill. But you're not going without a warning. Next time, it's juvie. Do you hear me?"

Erika dismissed his words. "Loud and clear," she replied nonetheless.

"Good."

"Now get back, we'll be having a group session in a few minutes, alert the others."

"Un huh."

"Just remember, Erika. You have one last chance."

"I got it, okay?"

"Don't blow your last chance," Peter advised seriously. "Do you need to take a visit to the infirmary?"

Erika shrugged. "I'm fine."

Peter shook his head. "I doubt it, but get out of here."


	22. Fleeing

The Cliffhangers were seated in chairs placed in a circle, all facing one another. Peter stood behind their circle. Another group session was in process

"Alright group," Peter began. "Anyone have something they want to address before we begin?"

"Yeah," Scott spoke up. He subsequently grinned. "How's Dan doing?"

"Scott.."

"No, I'm serious," Scott insisted.

"Yeah, he got knocked pretty bad," added Auggie.

"You want to address the fight that broke out?" Peter questioned.

"Hey, I was just asking," Scott replied.

"Well if Scott doesn't want to address it, then I do," said Daisy. "I saw it begin. What the world is coming to, I have to wonder."

"The Erikaster did kick his sorry butt in the end, but still, man," said Auggie.

"So the moral of the story is," Erika interrupted, "you guys know what I'm capable of. Don't underestimate what I can do."

Peter sighed heavily. "Erika, are you sure that's the vibe you should be advertising considering what I told you earlier?"

Erika shrugged. "Probably not."

"I think we can address this. The moral of the story is, violence doesn't solve anything, no matter how much you would like it to," Peter said.

"I have a question," Adrian said.

"Shoot."

"It's for Erika," he replied, turning to her. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"Experience," she dismissed.

"What kind?"

"Life."

Seeing that Erika's vague response was the only one she was willing to offer, Peter voiced, "I think also, what this teaches, is that revenge doesn't solve anything either."

"An eye for an eye, and the world is blind," Daisy replied.

"Exactly, Daisy," Peter responded. "Auggie, your thoughts?"

"Ah, nothin', just glad it ain't me."

"Alright," Peter assessed. "Anyone else have thoughts on the subject?" A vapid pause. "No? Alright, tonight we'll start off with something easy, and progress into a discussion. Complete this sentence: I feel.. And then, add in what you're feeling and why. Erika."

It was a moment before she replied. "I feel weird," she stated finally.

"And why is that?" Peter questioned.

"Because that's what life is, weird."

"You can never anticipate what life will bring," Daisy added. "Without the aid of tarot cards, of course." 

"Daisy," Peter volunteered to follow suit.

Daisy shrugged. "I'm feel like my usual self, and the reason for that should be evident."

The Cliffhangers proceeded to share what they felt at the particular moment. 

Once each Cliffhanger revealed what they were feeling, Peter said, "Alright, tonight's topic of discussion is something you all have something to say about. Parents."

A chorus of groans proceeded.

"Well isn't that our favourite topic of discussion," Ezra replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Ezra? Your thoughts?" Peter said.

"Parents are *supposed* to be there for you, *supposed* to love and support you," he began.

"According to who?" Shelby interrupted. "The Brady bunch?"

"Yeah, right," Ezra replied. "My point is, 'parents' aren't supposed to adopt you just to save their marriage. Some parents I had, huh."

"Man, what are we doin' this for?" Auggie complained. "Our parents all gave up on us, remember?"

"Handing you over to me, doesn't mean they gave up on you," Peter replied. 

"Yes, I have to say, dragging me here was the best decision my parents ever made," said Daisy.

"Daisy? Your thoughts?"

"My parents had no business having me."

"What?" Kat asked, taken aback.

"They're alcoholics, in case you've forgotten," Daisy began. "Parents are supposed to be some kind of role model, show you the right path. My parents did everything but that. How can you call someone mom when she's emptying out her stomach contents in the bathroom because they had too much to drink the night before? How can you be thankful to someone for raising you when you can't watch them drive you home from school because they're so drunk?! I didn't have parents. What I had were some pretty lousy excuses. What were they thinking? They couldn't support themselves, let alone a child with needs." 

"Well you grew up in a house right?" Adrian asked.

"A place of dreary memories," she replied.

"They could have just dumped you off the side of the road," Adrian pointed out. "I think they did care about you."

"If they cared about me, they wouldn't have let me grow up in the household that I did. That house was supposed to be my shelter, my harbour. It was anything but."

"Imagine growing up homeless, huh? Be thankful for what you had."

"A roof over my head doesn't constitute for a home. I grew up in world war 3, not a real home," Daisy stated. "My final thoughts on this subject, are that my parents are people I want to leave behind completely. If anything brings me down in life, it's not going to be them. I am not going to continue the rigorous cycle. Who am I to be responsible for another human life?" 

"C'mon Dais," Kat argued. "Just because your parents weren't top of the line, doesn't mean you shouldn't have kids. If anything, you can learn from your parent's mistakes, and make sure you don't make the same ones."

"As much as I wish it weren't so, your parents impart something of theirs to you, even if it's just their genes, that's enough to discourage me from reproducing. Who's to say I'm not going to be an alcoholic?" Daisy continued.

"What the hell is with you?" Erika chided. "You're going to let your parents bring you down, just because you're stuck with their genes."

Daisy shook her head. "I'm not letting my parents bring me down, I'm merely accepting reality as it is, Erika." 

"Reality is what you make of it, hun."

"Yeah, and I'm just accepting the cold hard truth. The odds are against me, 'hun'. I am not a fantasist, and to believe that things are other than what they are is ignorant and stupid," Daisy stated. 

"To let anyone get to you like that is ignorant and stupid," Erika argued. "Just because some shit-ass genetics point towards you becoming an alcoholic doesn't mean you have to frickin give up and succumb to it." 

Peter turned to Erika. "Erika? Your thoughts?"

"I had some shit-ass parents too, you know. One of them was too frickin lazy to take care of his own ass and didn't think shit of me." 

"Erika, watch what's coming out of your mouth," Peter warned sternly.

"You know where he is now, huh?" Erika continued, not giving any indication that she had even heard Peter's words. "Know what he's doing with his life? Shit, that's what. I've never even seen the guy. My other parent was just some little hopeless woman who let everything get to her. Believed everything that seemed factually correct. I'm the opposite of that, and thankful to God that I didn't turn out like she did. You learn from your parents' mistakes, you don't have to succumb to them." 

"Yeah, but look where you ended up," said Shelby. "A lock-down for societal rejects."

"Shelby? Your thoughts on all this?"

"I'm better off without my parents. I think we all had messed up parents, or else we wouldn't be here. I know that I wouldn't."

"But you had both parents," Erika interrupted. "What the hell are you complaining about?" 

"What am I complaining about? Excuse me, you have no idea," Shelby replied.

"Well enlighten me Shelby."

"Step off, Erika," Scott said forcefully.

"Abuse, being traumatized, being so scared you didn't know what to do with yourself. You want a father so bad, why don't you take mine?" Shelby invited, her voice raised. "I've wanted to get rid of him all my life. He's the very reason I'm here, Erika."

"Is your father in jail, huh?" Erika challenged. "Doing shit with his life? That's all mine ever did. I don't care what the hell he was convicted for. A girl needs a father."

"A girl does need a father, but not mine," Shelby persisted, almost yelling. "He wasn't a father. Oh, and to answer your question, yes my father's in jail. Do you know what for Erika? Do you know what for, huh?" Shelby rose from her chair to enforce her point. "I put him there! Sexual abuse, years of it!" 

Erika dismissed Shelby's words."You know what mine's in there for huh?" She too, was now yelling, and rose from her chair. "Try three counts of first degree murder!"

Juliette emitted an audible gasp, as the two blonds just stared at one another, having no words. Shelby fled from the scene, as did Erika, each running in their separate directions. 

"Shelby, Erika!" Peter called after them uselessly. 

Scott instantly jumped to his feet to run after his one true love, Shelby. 

"The truth is, it doesn't matter if you have parents at all," Daisy said in the midst of it all.

"Or a house," Adrian added. 

"It just matters there's someone there for you who has gone through it already, and is there to give you love when you need it."

  
  
  
  


"Shelby!" 

Shelby heard her name called behind her. She had run out to the docks, where she could sit and be alone. She turned her head to find Scott was pursuing her.

"Scott, what are you doing?" she questioned when he neared.

"Chasing after you," he responded. "What do you think I'm doing? You didn't think I'd let the most beautiful thing in my life run off did you?"

Shelby was on a short fuse. "Shut up Scott."

Scott took a good long look at Shelby before he asked, "Why'd you run off?"

"I can't believe that girl," she replied.

"Listen, Shel. She's not a bad person, I know that. I spent like a day with her, I know. She's just so desperate for her father, Shel. You know she never even told me about her father, not until you got into her face."

"Now everybody knows, Scott," Shelby stated.

"Hey it doesn't matter," Scott said as he put his arms around her. She didn't resist. Her anger lessened at his touch. "Everybody knows everything here."

"Except for, uh, your little secret," Shelby said with a small smile. Only Scott was capable of that- evoking a smile out of pissed-off-Shelby.

"Oh, yeah, sorry."

"I know, it's a guy thing, you guys don't like to show weakness."

"Just a guy thing, Shelby?" Scott smiled, remembering Shelby's hard-as-nails attitude when she was first brought to Horizon. 

Shelby chuckled. "I was the one who came clean today, Scott if I remember correctly."

"Eh.. Yeah, alright," Scott said. Their eyes met, and Scott brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. "I love you, you know that Shel?"

Shelby smiled smugly despite herself. "Yeah, I know."

"I'm proud of you Shel," Scott said seriously.

"It feels so weird."

"What?" Scott asked.

"To have everyone I care about know, and even some people I don't care about," Shelby replied.

"Erika?"

"Well, obviously," Shelby responded. It was a moment before she spoke again. "I can't believe you keep coming back to me." 

"What?"

"The night of the morp. You didn't need to."

"You didn't think I would?" Scott asked. "Come back to the one beautiful thing in my life?"

"When you left I was pretty sure you were gone forever, to get on with your life," Shelby admitted.

"But how could I get on with life when the most important person in the world wasn't with me?"

"Scott.. But don't you realize what you gave up for me?"

"Don't you realize what I would have given up if I had left? Something better than the world," he said seriously, holding her close. 

Shelby shook her head, not entirely convinced. Scott had missed out on a scholarship on her account. "But Scott-"

"Shhh."

Shelby smiled. "Alright."

"I love you.. You know that, don't you Shel?"

"Yeah, I know. Scott?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." 


	23. Uncertainties

  
  


"Hey!" Juliette squealed, bursting into the girls dorm. "Guess what we got!"

The Cliffhanger girls were in the midst of idly playing cards when Juliette bounded inside the girls dorm.

"A ticket out of here?" Shelby asked in a cynical monotone.

"No...!" Juliette replied, grinning from ear to ear. "Mail!"

"What good is that?" Shelby muttered to herself. 

"Just because no one would bother to write you doesn't mean you have to try to spoil the fun for the people who actually get mail," Juliette replied.

"What fun?"

Juliette ignored the remark. "Erika," she said, tossing a sealed envelope to the blond girl, "One for you." Juliette dished the next piece of mail also. "Kat, you got a letter too."

A strange look came over Erika's face when she heard that she had received mail. But she gasped when she read who had sent it. "Oh my god."

Juliette turned to her. "What?"

"Oh my god," Erika repeated, putting a hand over her mouth. She dropped her playing cards, and fled from the dorm. 

The Cliffhanger girls stared at one another in bewilderment. 

"What's with her?" Shelby asked no one in particular. Her response was a simultaneous wave of shrugs.

"Look, I got one from my mom!" Juliette burst out, giddily. "Oh by the way, did I tell you guys I'm visiting home next week? Isn't that awesome?!" 

"Yeah, it's only the millionth time you've mentioned it today," Shelby replied sarcastically.

"We know, Jules," Kat responded, a hint of irritation in her voice.

"I wonder what it says?" Juliette said aloud, marvelling at her letter from home and ignoring the comments she had received.

"Read it," urged Kat. 

Juliette opened the envelope delicately, and removed the letter. She read it, smiling. The other girls resumed their card game as Juliette read. "Oh, it's from Mom," Juliette interrupted. "She says she can't wait to see me! Isn't that lovely?"

"Fantabulous," Shelby replied nonchalantly, irritated with Juliette's antics. 

"Ahaha!! I'm coming home! I can't wait!" Juliette squealed. 

Shelby rolled her eyes. "I can't believe we're going to have to sit through this until she's finally gone. Can you think of a more cruel torture?"

"Shelby just because I get a weekend in my own home, in civilization, doesn't mean you have to be so jealous," Juliette replied haughtily. "Get over it, Shelby."

"Why don't you get over yourself?" Shelby asked, turning towards her. "Everything's always about you with you. You actually think I'm jealous? Are you kidding me?! It would be heaven on earth the day that I don't have to wake up to your face."

"You're so mean."

  
  


"Peter."

Peter glanced up from his desk to find a certain blond student standing with her arms crossed defiantly, and a certain look in her eyes. "Yes, Erika?"

She stared at her headmaster with a formidable glare. "What the hell is going on?!" she demanded.

Peter tapped his fingers on his desk. "You want to tell me what you're talking about?"

"This," Erika said as she presented the handwritten letter from her father. "Mom forwarded it to me or something?" her tone was incredulous.

"Yes. I had her do that."

Erika was dumbfounded. "Why?"

"Because I didn't see the harm in it, and it was addressed to you," Peter replied.

There was a short pause before Erika responded. "Can I mail him a response?"

"I don't see why not."

The look in her eyes suggested that she wasn't buying his words, a hint of suspicion. She gave Peter a look. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Erika, profanity," Peter reminded her.

"No," Erika opposed. "I fucking deserve to know!"

"Know what?" Peter questioned. 

"Why the fuck you're being nice to me!"

"Erika.." Peter began, exasperated. "I'm guessing you'd contact him whether you had my permission or not."

Erika shrugged.

"And he is your father, that you haven't had contact with him your entire life stumps me, to be honest. I don't know how your mom convinced the court to have full custody of you. Usually, when a child's father is in jail, the court still orders the child to visit him."

"My mom's fuckin messed up. Who knows what the fuck she told the court," Erika stated.

Peter blinked and awaited her reply. 

"So I can really send him a reply?"

Peter nodded. "That's right."

Erika was at a loss for words. "Wow,"she managed, "Thanks, I guess."

"Head off," Peter instructed. "It's almost lights out."

Erika smirked. "Yeah, whatever."

  
  


Erika headed outside, but not towards the girl's dorm. It was dark, but the moonlight provided sufficient light. She sat down on a picnic table, and read the letter from her father over and over again, trying to make something of it. 

After a few long minutes, she found that she had a visitor, who came and sat beside her on the picnic bench. None other than Adrian Garret. 

"What are you doing here?" she asked him. "It's lights out."

"I know. But so do you, and you're here," he stated. "What are *you* doing here?"

"Reading," she replied vaguely.

"*What* are you reading?"

"A letter," she said finally. "From my dad."

"The one in jail?"

"It's not like I have any others."

"Oh."

"We've been sending letters back and forth for a long time now. My mom had no idea until this baby," she began, pointing to the letter in her hand, "fell on her doorstep. Amazingly," she continued, as if still confounded, "she forwarded it to me."

"Hmm," Adrian responded. 

"Peter convinced her to, I guess. I'm kind of amazed she didn't just dispose of it," Erika said, marvelling at the letter in her hands.

Adrian grinned. "Peter, the miracle worker."

"Yeah really," Erika agreed. "That he can get my mom to do anything, is a feat in itself."

"Yeah."

"I guess I have some explaining to do, explain to my dad why he has to write to me at a different address," Erika chuckled. "Now I have to figure out what I'm going to write back. Peter said he'd actually allow me to do it, too. Pretty crazy, huh?" She turned to Adrian. You know, you never told me what you were doing here."

"Take a wild guess," Adrian replied, grinning, the answer was so blatantly obvious. In his hands, was his handy sketchbook.

"Sketching," Erika guessed easily. 

"You must be psychic."

"It's practically dark, though," she commented. "How can you even see what you're doing?"

"I can see enough with the moonlight. There's more light out here than in my dorm."

"Yeah. That's what I'm doing out here. I don't know what I'm going to say to Dad," Erika said.

"You want to know something?" Adrian said suddenly.

"Maybe."

He turned to her. "I'm amazed you even speak to your father."

"Why?" Erika asked, as though his words were inconceivable. "He's still my father."

"Yeah, but he committed a violent crime, right? Or rather, three."

"I don't give a fuck about that. He said he didn't do it," Erika replied fiercely. "Honestly Adrian, I don't know what to believe. I didn't even know he was in jail until a few months ago."

"Whoa. Your mom must have really kept you in the dark."

"Yup, not even in view of a speck of moonlight."

"Want me to help?" Adrian asked. 

"You want to help?"

"Sure."

"Here," Erika said as she tossed the letter to him. "Read it."

"Let's see. 'Dear Erika, It's not what you think, kid.. It's not what you think. I know this has to be hard for you to understand, and I know it's weird coming from a man you haven't seen in what has seemed to me a lifetime, but it's even worse for me. My life the past few years have been the hardest of life in entirety. I'm sorry that you couldn't get to know me, the real me, and not just projections of what you must hear. I'm sorry for that. But thank you for writing. It means the world that you didn't forget about me, even though your mother has. She's not a bad woman, she just doesn't believe anymore. Write back soon. Signed Darryl Lavalier'

"Well first you have to tell him where you're at," Adrian opined. 

"Yeah, I've got that much figured out."

"Here," he said, ripping out a paper from his sketchbook. "Just write what you feel and the words will come."

She looked at him like he was crazy. "I'll try."

Erika put pencil to the paper. She racked her brain, and began writing. *Dear Dad. You'll never guess what I've been up to the past few days. Mom shipped me off to this boarding school/summer camp that's more like bootcamp than anything. It's called Mount Horizon. I became too much for her to deal with. I guess we both know that it doesn't take long for her to lose faith in people. Rules are strict here, and I don't heed any of them. It's been interesting to say the least. So you gotta write me at the new address that's on the envelope.* 

"Here, what do you think so far?" she asked, showing Adrian what she had written so far. 

Adrian read it intently. "It's good," he replied. "But now you gotta respond to his words."

"I don't know what to say, or how to say what I want to say. I've never been very adept in writing."

"You don't need to be a professional author to dish out a reply."

"I wonder what he looks like," Erika wondered aloud, idly. "If I ever see him, I bet it'll be like staring into my own eyes. I know I don't have Mom's eyes. I don't look anything like Mom. I just have her hair."

"Your father must be very good looking if you inherited most of your features from him."

"Adrian. You say one more thing about my looks and you know what's coming."

It was his turn to look at her like she was crazy. "You're not like any girl I've ever met."

"See, *that's* a compliment. Shut up about my looks. I hate them," she dismissed, and tried in vain to continue her reply to her father's letter.

"Why?"

"Doesn't it piss you off when the only reason people like you, or look at you is because of your looks? I want people to respect me not because of my looks, but because of who I am. Do you understand that?" Erika asked him, not even bothering to conceal the irritation in her voice.

"So you really think your looks are a burden?"

"I just like to let people know there's more to me than my looks."

"I see."

"I still don't know what to say to my dad," Erika reminded Adrian.

"Well what do you feel?"

"I don't know. I don't know what to believe. I've never even met the guy, so how should I know if I should trust what he says? Maybe he *was* framed. And maybe he's just making flimsy excuses. How the fuck am I supposed to know?"

"You can't- it's impossible to know. Tell him what you told me."

"That I don't know whether to trust him or not?"

"He deserves to know the truth. It's better than you having absolutely no faith in him."

"I dunno." Erika's gaze crept over to Adrian's sketchbook, now opened. "Hey let's see your drawing."

He handed her the sketchbook. "Here."

"It's gorgeous," Erika assessed. "How'd you learn to do that?"

"Practice."

"Yeah?"

"Tons of it. Draw is all I do. If I don't, I go insane."

"I guess it's amazing where passion can take you. I still have yet to find mine."

"What?" Adrian asked, wondering if he had heard correctly. 

"You know, something I'm really passionate about, something I can't live without."

"I'm just lucky I found mine early on," Adrian replied.

Erika stared out into the distance. "I can't stop thinking about my dad. I would kill to go see him."

"So would I. I'd kill to see my dad, too. Except it's totally impossible since he's dead." 

"You've never even seen pictures of him?" Erika asked.

"I have this picture of him in my stuff. It's a small picture, with him and my mom together. That was true love. You can tell what they feel for eachother just by the looks on their faces. It's kind of hard to look at honestly, especially since they're both dead. But I guess they're together now."

"Yeah, they must be. I don't even know what my dad looks like. I've always felt there was something missing in my life," Erika sighed. "It's so depressing to miss something you never even had."

"Yeah, I know the feeling."

"It's times like these that I wish I really was numb, that I couldn't feel all the emotions inside. I guess I never really was numb, but drugs made me feel like I was."

"You were a user?" Adrian asked.

"Yeah. I reached a point in my life where I just didn't care anymore, about anything," Erika explained. 

"How? How can you give up in a world as beautiful as this?"

"It's easy. Life sucks sometimes, that's all there is to it."

"Listen, Erika. You know what I think of life? I'm thankful for everyday of it. Life is a gift, but you'd prefer to live it numb?" He sounded confounded, and bewildered.

"You didn't have to live through what I did, Adrian," Erika said. "Don't pretend that you know me, Adrian, or my situation. You don't, nobody does, and nobody ever will."

"Why? Why do you have to keep it all bottled up?"

"It's called pride, Adrian. What the hell do you care anyways?"

"Maybe I care about you."

"You barely know me, let alone care about me."

Erika fled from the scene, with Adrian glancing after her, trying to discern her form in the darkness.

  
  


Erika reached the girl's dorm. She put her hand to the doorknob, to walk inside, when it flung open unexpectedly.

"Shelby," Erika confronted, seeing that she had planned to escape from the dorm. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Outside," Shelby answered. Sarcastically, she added, "Where do you think, Sherlock?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Erika added her own cynicism in her words, "I mean, it's not like you sneak out every single night."

"And where were you?" Shelby asked. 

Erika replied in the same mocking tone that Shelby had. "Outside, Sherlock."

"Get out of my way, Erika."

"I hope you get caught."

"Hope all you want, get out of my way before I make you."

"Chill," Erika said. "Get your temper under control, girl."

"You're trying to lecture *me* about *my* temper," Shelby's tone was incredulous. "Right. That's a great one coming from the queen of temper tantrums."

"You don't know me," Erika stated.

"Don't pretend like you know me."

"Who's pretending?"

Shelby rolled her eyes with irritation. "Get out of my way."

  
  
  
  


Shelby smiled as she approached the docks. Scott was already there. She could discern that brooding form from a mile away. 

"Hey beautiful," he greeted her with a smile, taking her in his arms.

"Hey handsome," she responded, smiling. His smile was infectious.

"How are you doing?"

"Mm, better now."

"Good."

They leaned towards one another in a passionate kiss, that ended with Shelby stroking Scott's face.

"What did I do to deserve you, Scott?"

Scott was momentarily taken aback by her words. "What?"

"Are you for real?"

"Shel.." he said, holding her in his arms. "What are you going on about?"

"I'm the luckiest girl in the world."

"Nah," Scott replied, smiling. "I'm the one who's lucky."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. Course. You don't think I'm lucky, Shel? To have you?"

"I never thought anyone would ever understand, you know, about my past," Shelby began. "And then you came into the picture. And that night of the morp, you could have gone on with your life but you came back. To me. I am the luckiest girl in the world Scott."

"Hey Shel, it's okay. I never thought anyone would ever understand my issues, either you know. I just thought I'd keep it all inside and no one would ever know. But then you came along and turned my world upside down."

"But in a good way, right?"

Scott grinned. "Yeah. Course, Shel."

"I love you, Scott, so much."

"I love you too, baby."

Their lips met, and it was a nice pause before Shelby turned to Scott with a certain look in her eyes. "Do you ever wonder what'll become of us?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean like, we're graduating in a few months." 

"I'm not losing you Shel."

"Good, because I'm not letting go of you."

"That's fine by me."

"So what do you think?"

"About what?"

"When horizon comes to an end for us, and we have to go out in the real world. The real world, Scott." 

"We'll worry about that when we get there, Shel. I couldn't leave without you the first time, and I don't intend to leave without you when our graduation comes." 

  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  



	24. Execution

"Cliffhangers, as you know, we never had an opportunity to wrap up yesterday's group session, and I think there are still issues that need addressing."

Peter Scarbrow's voice shattered the awkward silence that had enveloped the Cliffhangers as they sat in chairs, facing one another in a circle. They stared at one another idly, their gazes drifting between each other.

Daisy was the first to speak. "You're sure you wanna relive that, Peter?"

"Resolve it, yes," he replied. 

Daisy shrugged. "Then by all means, give it your best shot."

"Daisy?"

She transferred her gaze to Peter. "You can't just resolve a discussion because you think it needs resolving. It was pretty heated." Her voice was casual, and nonchalant.

Peter set aside her comments. "Anyways, we were unable to finish group yesterday, since two of our group members ran off. Now Erika, Shelby, why did that happen?" he questioned. "Erika?"

Erika shrugged. "She's a bitch who can't take what I say."

Shelby was quick to snap right back. "Maybe that's because you're full of shit."

Peter waved his arms as if to halt their snapping. "Guys, guys! No profanity! Another word of profanity and you both are on kitchen duties for the next two weeks."

"Aren't I already on kitchen duties for the rest of my stay here?" Erika asked dryly.

"No," Peter responded. "You're on wood chopping for the next while. But you earned it," he continued pointedly.

"Whatever."

"So Erika," Peter began, "why did you run out of the room?" After he saw that he hadn't mustered a response, he continued, pressing. "Why, huh?"

Still no response. But in his usual fashion, Peter didn't give up. "Didn't want to confront what was in front of you? How about you Shelby?"

Shelby merely shrugged.

"We run away because it's the easy way out," Peter lectured. "Now, I'm not going to let you do that. We're going to resolve this."

The two key players were unresponsive.

"I can't help if you don't talk to me."

Shelby was conspicuous irritated. "Maybe I don't want your help. We don't get along. That's all there is to it," she dismissed.

"And why is that?"

Shelby looked at Peter like he was inhuman. Why did everything have to be justified in his world? "Ever heard of clashing personalities?" she questioned dryly.

"Not clashes that couldn't be overcome."

Shelby rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Peter."

"We're going to work on this. I want a thousand word essay, each of you, about the other," Peter stated. 

"Oh, god," Shelby muttered.

Erika's response dripped with sarcasm. "This ought to be fun," she said. 

"You got it?" Peter questioned. 

Erika dismissed his words. "Whatever."

"On another note," Peter began in a more upbeat tone, "we have a new Cliffhanger. This is Amber.." 

A curvy girl with shoulder-length chestnut hair and matching eyes emerged into the room. She wore a flirtatious smile that showcased her perfectly white teeth as she walked towards the circle, swaying her hips. She wasn't dressed according to the dress code at Horizon. She wore a short, tight, denim miniskirt and a blue halter top that showcased her cleavage, topped off with platform sandals with denim straps. Her entrance provoked some whistles from the male Cliffhanger members. 

"Yeeouch!" Auggie hailed, but was quick to shut up when Juliette nudged him in the ribs.

"So this is the group I'm stuck with, huh?" Amber noted. Her voice was deliberately sultry. At a glimpse of Scott, she remarked, "well, I could have done worse. Hey you."

"He's taken," Shelby interrupted, protecting her territory.

Peter's voice was irritated, as he said, "Amber you were supposed to change. There is a dress code here."

"Yeah, well I changed back," Amber replied, flipping her hair. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not in the taliban, I can wear whatever the hell I want."

"You're not going to participate in the group unless you're wearing appropriate attire," Peter said sternly, sending Amber back to get changed.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gossip rampaged loose in the girl's dorm. 

"Did you see that newbie?!" Juliette gushed.

"Duh, Queenie," was Shelby's reply.

"What's with you? Anyways, I totally can't believe we're getting that slut in our group! Did you see the way she looked at the guys?"

"Or rather, Scott," Daisy commented dryly.

"Yeah. I didn't like the impression I got of her," Kat agreed.

Erika smirked. "Imagine that, Shelby."

"Imagine what," Shelby said disinterestedly. 

"A newbie you actually have something in common with," Erika replied.

Shelby's gaze snapped to Erika. "Excuse me," she demanded.

Juliette furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?" she asked Erika.

"You two can make a sluts anonymous group."

Shelby slammed down her fists. "What the hell is your problem?"

"What the hell is *your* problem?"

"Last time I checked, I was the one you're trying to lecture."

"What, do you have a problem with who you are? You can't deny who you are."

Shelby shook her head, her deadly gaze meeting Erika's. "I've had enough of you," she stated.

Erika smirked. "I'd like to see you try to get rid of me."  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  


Erika sat slumped in a wooden chair located in Peter's office. Her gaze was distant and disinterested. 

"Erika, I warned you. What can I say, I warned you."

She heard Peter's voice ring in her ears as he stood over her behind his desk.

"Whatever."

"You decided to not make it work here, and now you're paying the consequences."

Erika idly put her feet on Peter's desk as she sat, simply to irritate her headmaster. Peter shoved her feet off.

"So how long will I be chillin in juvie?" she questioned nonchalantly.

Peter sat in the chair behind his desk, so he was eye-level to his defiant student. "You'll serve time in juvie for as long as they see fit. You have the power to get yourself out of there. But you'll have to cooperate, in order to attain it. If you resist, then you're only making your stay longer. You cooperate, and your attitude improves, you can return here, if you want to, and after experiencing juvie, I take it you will. It's all up to you Erika," he explained. "So what do you think?"

Erika shrugged. "Bring on juvie."

Peter wasn't impressed with her answer. "Gather your stuff," he said finally. "Report to my office when you're done, with your bags."  
  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  


Erika folded her clothes into her duffle bag, mechanically. She wasn't sure how she felt. She had grown accustomed to this place. And now she was leaving for a place far grittier. She couldn't decide if she was anticipating the challenge juvenile hall would present, or if she would really miss the campground environment and colourful personalities of Mount Horizon. She was thrown for a loop when she came across the single item of hers that meant something. The single item of hers that she believed to be valuable. She fled from her dorm with it in hand, and headed towards the boy's dorm.

She reached the door, knocked discreetly, and subsequently entered, to find only Scott there. 

"Is Adrian here?" she asked him. 

"Nope, it's just me," Scott replied. 

Erika sighed. "Well then, give this back to him," she instructed Scott, handing him a sheet of folded paper.

Scott furrowed his brows. He unfolded the paper out of curiosity, and stared in amazement. It was Erika's beautifully drawn portrait. His gaze transferred from Erika and the now unfolded paper. "What are you doing?" he questioned. "Did Adrian draw this for you?"

Erika shook her head. "No, he drew it for himself. I don't want it."

"What do you mean? What's going on?"

"I'm leaving," Erika replied simply, heading for the door.

"Where?" he questioned, bewildered.

"Juvie."

Scott chuckled at the irony of it, despite himself. "Yeah? How'd you land there?"

Erika shrugged, and leaned her back against the door. "Peter warned me if I got myself into another fight, that's where I'd be sent. Apparently, he thought it was a threat." 

"I'm confused."

"I don't give a damn about juvie, or here," she replied.

"Hey, listen," Scott said. "I've never been to juvie, but I know it's not any better than here, Erika."

"You didn't think I knew that?"

Scott scrutinized the very complicated girl. "So who'd you beat up this time?" he questioned.

"Shelby."

Scott's jaw dropped. "Tell me your kidding." He said it almost like a command, like he wouldn't believe it.

Erika shrugged. "No can do," she replied.

Scott combed his fingers through his hair nervously. "Oh my god," was his immediate reaction. He subsequently got in Erika's face. "Is she alright?!" he demanded.

"She's still alive if that's what you're asking."

"Dammit Erika, why?!"

"She pissed me off."

"Yeah? What'd she do."

"It doesn't take much to piss me off."

"Damn it Erika. You know how much she means to me and you get in a fight with her because you feel like it! What's with you?!"

"Chill out," Erika dismissed. 

"Why should I?" Scott was yelling now. "You're acting like it's not a big deal."

"It's not," Erika stated, unconvincingly. "She'll have a black eye by tomorrow. Big whoop. Get over it."

"You know what, you need to get your butt out of here now."

"Is that a threat, Scott?"

"You're not the only one who has problems controlling their temper."

Erika merely smirked.

Scott shook his head, disgusted. "You seriously need to get your shit together."

"Scott, I know how much your beloved Shelby means to you," Erika said.

"Then what were you thinking?!"

"You know what, I don't get it, and I don't care. Adios," Erika turned the knob of the door to exit. 

"Wait. What is that supposed to mean?"

Erika turned back towards Scott. "What is what supposed to mean?"

"What you said."

"What, that I don't get why Shelby means shit to you?"

Scott stared seriously at Erika. "You want to know why Shelby means something to me?"

"Do I care?" she asked. 

"You might."

Erika shrugged. "I've got some time before I head off."

"She helped me through my own issues, alright? She made sense of it all. She was always there."

Erika shrugged and turned once again to leave. "Whatever." 

"You don't get it," Scott stated.

"No, I don't. But I'm not sure I care."

"You don't care about anything," Scott stated. "Get out of here."

"If that's what you want to think, then yeah, whatever, I don't care about shit."

Scott's eyes were scrutinizing. "You gotta care about something."

"Yeah, says who? You just said, I don't care about shit."

"Erika, have you ever met somebody who makes you go crazy inside and you can't get enough of them?"

Erika winced. "Urgh, I have to get out of here," she said, and opened the door to leave.

"No? Well then you can't understand, plain and simple. Shelby is the reason I go on. Shelby makes me feel whole. She knows about me what no one in the world does," Scott's words had turned into a passionate speech. "She knows all my flaws, and yet she's still with me. I've seen her at her worst, too. But I love her, Erika, I love her. You can't understand that? Fine. You were right. You don't need to. Get out of here."

Erika shook her head in disgust. "You're weak. Love makes you weak."

"I don't care," Scott replied.

"Bye, Scott," Erika said.

"Bye Erika," he returned. She left the dorm, closing the door behind her.  
  



	25. Realization

Author's note: first of all, my thnx to everyone who reviews. y'all are awesome. :) and secondly, sorry not much happens in this chapter, but I finally know where this story is headed, and I can't wait to get to the core of it, which is coming up soon! believe it or not, this story actually has a point! this is my first fanfic and the longest story I've ever written by far (even thought I'm known to write stories that seem to go on forever), and it's not close to being done. thnx!~ Jazz

  
  
  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
  


"Shel!"

Shelby held an icepack to her swollen, shut left eye, when she heard her name called. She turned, and upon seeing who was approaching her in quick, concerned strides, smiled. This was how it was- his very presence evoked that out of her. 

"Hey Scott," she greeted him, biting her bottom lip. It wouldn't have been her first choice for him to see her in this state. But he came to her and put an arm around her nonetheless. "What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"I heard that you got in a little brawl," he said, brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes. "Are you alright?" His eyes revealed concern.

Shelby sighed. "Yeah, I'll live," she said. "Erika isn't going to though, after I get my hands on her."

This provoked a grin out of Scott. "I love you Shel," he said. He looked at her intently. "But you know.." he began. It was a moment of their locked gaze before Scott continued. "Erika's gone," he said finally.

Shelby's gaze drifted. "What do you mean?"

His intent stare lingered on. "Peter shipped her off to juvie," he told her, never taking his eyes off of hers.

Shelby absorbed this new development. "Yeah, why? Aren't they supposed to fix us, not just like ship us off when we become too much to handle?"

"Peter warned her that if she got herself in another fight that she'd be sent to juvie," Scott explained. "It's not like he just all of a sudden decided she that she was too much to handle. She knew." Their gazes never lingered from the other. "And she didn't care," Scott continued.

"Well you know what they say," Shelby stated, in her familiar cynical tone, "you get what you earn."

"Yeah," Scott agreed. 

  
  
  
  


* * *

The Cliffhanger girls were lounging in their dorm, clad in pajamas, the star-studded night sky visible through the window panes. 

The dorm door opened, and the Cliffhangers girls were relieved to see that Shelby had finally returned.

"Hey Shelby, you doing okay?" Kat asked immediately.

Shelby shrugged. "Yeah, I'm alright." 

"That's good."

"Yeah," Shelby replied distantly. "Hey did you guys hear the news?"

"Hear what?" Juliette perked in.

"Erika's gone."

The Cliffhanger girls exchanged glances. Juliette walked over to the bunk in which Erika had previously occupied. She took notice that Erika's things were all missing. Turning slowly to Shelby, Juliette asked, "Where?"

"Juvie."

"Peter was that merciful, huh?" Daisy said in her familiar sarcastic tone. 

"Yep," Shelby replied. "Apparently she got a warning and didn't care."

"Why is it that that doesn't surprise me?" Kat responded.

Daisy wore a thoughtful visage. "So that's what that card meant.." she said cryptically.

Juliette giggled. "Daisy," she said. "You're so.. you."

"Thanks," Daisy replied, although not entirely sure how to take Juliette's comment.

Silence reigned as each of the girls were consumed in their own thoughts. Juliette was the first to speak. "Why would she prefer juvie over Horizon?" she asked no one in particular.

"This is Erika we're talking about, guys," Shelby reminded Juliette. "Who knows."

"Well one thing's for sure," Daisy stated.

"And what's that?" Kat asked curiously.

"This place is going to be one hell of a lot less interesting without the Erikaster."

"Well duh," Shelby replied. "But is that a good or bad thing?"

Daisy smiled. "Only time, or the cards, will tell."

Juliette giggled again. "Daisy.." she began.

Kat interrupted her. "I can't believe she's gone," she stated.

"Yeah, we were just starting to get used to her," Daisy agreed.

"And now.." Shelby began, "we have to get used to.. Miss Amber."

"Where is she anyways?" Juliette chimed in.

Shelby shrugged. "Who knows."

"You know what's funny?" Daisy spoke up. "Picturing Erika interact with Amber."

Shelby smirked. "All I can see is red."

"That's the point," Daisy said.

"I'm not sure I like Amber," Kat opined.

"Really?" Shelby said. "I hate her already."

"Yeah," Kat agreed, "but you have reason. I don't, really."

Shelby shook her head in disagreement. "You don't like her for being herself. That's reason enough."

"I wonder what she's here for?" Juliette said distantly. 

"Please," Shelby said. "Is it that hard to conceive?" 

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Yeah," Kat agreed.

After a moment of silence, Juliette couldn't stand it. She perked in, "Hey.. Guess what!"

"What?" Kat asked.

A huge grin spread across her face. "I'm visiting home in just a few days!!"

"Well that's something we didn't know," Shelby said sarcastically.

"Yeah, really," Daisy added dryly.

"I just can't wait!"

Irritated, Shelby cut in. "We know, Juliette."

"I'm so excited," Juliette continued on.

"Chill, queenie."

"Just think," Juliette continued, ignoring Shelby's comments, "I'm going to be home, in my own house, in my own room! And I'm going to see all the friends I left behind, and everyone!"

"And your mom," Kat added, "and which husband is it, are we up to number five?"

"Oh, Hal didn't last long," Juliette replied, "She married again not long after the morp, to this guy named Andrew." Juliette sighed in longing, falling onto her bed. "I can't wait to meet him! I heard once that number 6 is supposed to be the one!"

"Yeah, sure," Daisy replied cynically.

"Maybe in your world, Queenie," Shelby added.

The opening of the dorm room door interrupted their conversation. Sophie barged in their dorm. "Girls, lights out in ten minutes," she informed them.

"Alrighty," Kat responded.

In mere seconds, as if on cue, Amber slunk into the dorm, and Sophie took notice. "Amber?" she questioned. "Where have you been?"

Amber flashed her a tight smile. "Nowhere," she replied. 

"Un huh," Sophie replied, not buying it. 

  
  
  
  


* * *

The Cliffhanger boys headed into their dorm. It was night, and would soon be 'lights out'. As Adrian walked towards his bunk, he noticed a piece of folded paper lying on it. He turned to the other boys in question. 

"Hey what's this?" he asked, not unfolding it.

Scott noticed that Adrian had received Erika's farewell gift, and said, "It's uh, from Erika."

He unfolded the paper in astonishment, and subsequently turned to Scott. "I don't understand," he stated.

"She's gone." 

"What do you mean she's gone??" Adrian demanded. "She can't be gone!"

"Well," Scott began, searching his brain for something sympathetic to say. To no avail, he continued, "she is."

Auggie overheard their conversation. "Yo, man, Erika's gone?"

"Yeah," Scott replied. "Peter sent her to juvie."

"Fer what?" Auggie questioned.

"She uh, got in another fight," Scott replied, "this time with Shelby."

"And yo, why didn't they invite me?"

Adrian interrupted their exchange. "I gave this to *her*," he said.

"I know," Scott replied.

"Then.." Adrian began, not understanding.

"She said that you drew it for yourself, not for her," Scott stated.

Adrian sat on the edge of his bunk, staring at the portrait he had drawn of the gone girl. "I don't get it," he said.

"Yeah, she's a tough girl to get," Scott stated.

"Yo, Adrian man, what are ya thinkin'?" Auggie asked.

"I think he liked her," Ezra put in.

"Yeah, I did," Adrian agreed.

"Yo, man, this is Erika we're talking about right?" Auggie asked.

"Yeah, Erika," Adrian replied, never tearing his eyes from the portrait. This was all that he had left of her. "Isn't she beautiful?"

"Whoa, man," Auggie remarked. "You got it bad."

"Is she gone for now, or forever?" Adrian asked distantly.

"I don't know," Scott replied. "Sorry man."

"I don't get it," Adrian said again.

"No one does, home," Auggie stated.

"I care about her you know."

"Man, you really got it bad."

"Yeah, I do," Adrian agreed. "But it's not like I can do anything about it, especially now."

"Hey man, you'll get over it," Scott said.

"Are you sure man?" Auggie asked Adrian Garret. "A girl like her?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Adrian questioned.

"I'd be scared shitless that she'd eat me alive, Garret!" Auggie replied, half-serious.

"Yeah," Adrian agreed, "that's what I like about her."

"Hey whatever man," Auggie replied.

Eager to change the topic, Ezra said, "Hey guys what do you think of the newbie?"

"Amber?" said Auggie. "She's smokin'."

Ezra grinned. "I agree there."

"She's not Erika," Adrian replied dimly.

"Get over it, man," Scott said finally. "You might never see her again."

"I know," Adrian replied. "And it drives me crazy. There's something about her, just that something."

"Oh," Scott answered distantly. He hadn't fathomed that Adrian, of all people, was in love with Erika. "I can relate," he said simply, referring to Shelby.

"Yeah, me too," Auggie added.

"But not me," Ezra stated in his usual tone.

"EZ!" Auggie exclaimed. "Man you gotta get a girl, and quick. That attitude is depressing, man."

"Yeah, I second that," Scott put in.

"Oh thanks guys," Ezra replied sarcastically.

"Hey anytime man," Scott replied.

"Yeah, I definitely needed to hear that," Ezra continued.

"Nice to know, Freakman," Auggie said. Then a thought hit him, and he was reminded of what played out not long ago. "Hey Scott," he began, "Where ya been?"

"Huh?" Scott asked. "I was visiting Shelby in the infirmary. Why?" 

"Amber was looking for ya," Auggie stated.

"Why?"

"Adrian ain't the only one who got it bad," Auggie said slyly.

"Aww shit," was Scott's reaction.

"'Aww shit' is right, muchacho," Auggie responded. 

"Hey remember when I took your place on the night of the storm?" Ezra said suddenly to Scott, a mischievous smile set on his face. "Think we can do that again, only with Amber?"

Scott grinned. "Yeah sure EZ. And while you're at it, convince her that there's no way I'm going with her. I got Shelby, and that's all I need."

"Alright!" Ezra exclaimed.

"Yo man," Auggie said to Ezra, "what ever happened with you and Dais?"

"What do you mean what happened?" Ezra asked. "Nothing happened. Unfortunately."

"You got it bad for her?" Auggie asked.

"Yeah, kind of. But it'll never happen so I try not to keep my hopes too high," Ezra replied.

"Man, you really are depressing," Scott remarked.

"Thanks Scott," Ezra replied sarcastically.

"Alright homes," Auggie asserted. "It's lights out soon."


	26. Promise

Author's Note: This is one long chapter! I hope you enjoy it! But anyways, this chapter is pretty important, especially the S&S conversation (so pay attention!), which comes into play for the entire duration of the rest of the story. What's coming is a mix of Moulin Rouge (minus the singing) and The Replacements (if you can believe it!). Can you figure it out? Ah, the wonderful world of writing. But it's going to be crazy, I can assure you of that. Btw- Erika WILL be back for more, and that's all I'll say about that for now, so don't get detached from her just yet! Thanks~ Jazz

  
  
  
  
  
  


Days have since passed.... days uneventful and long. 

Juliette sat on the edge of her bunk, her bags packed beside her. She looked around, preserving what memories she could of the place that had become her home. Yeah, she was only visiting home for a weekend, but she would definitely miss it.

Juliette sighed in happiness. She loved her mom, even though her relationship with her was somewhat out of the ordinary. That she would live in civilization for some time blew her mind, after becoming so accustomed to Horizon. She laid down on her bunk. "I'm actually getting out of here!" she squealed, almost to herself. 

Kat smiled. "I'm happy for you Jules," she said.

"I'm happy for me," Shelby said cynically.

"No one asked you, Shelby," Juliette said, adamant that Shelby wouldn't ruin her final moments here. 

"Just get out of here."

Juliette bounded off her bunk. "Not before I say goodbye! Kat give me a hug," she said, bouncing over to Kat and putting her arms around her. Next to Kat was Daisy, and Juliette turned to her also. That she wasn't particularly close with Daisy didn't matter to her. She wanted to assure that she had thoroughly said her goodbyes. "Daisy, you too," Juliette instructed, and Daisy reluctantly gave in. Juliette turned around. "Amber?" she asked uncertainly. "Want a hug before I go?"

"I'll pass," was the curt reply.

"Alright," Juliette assessed. "Well goodbye everyone!" she squealed, waving her arms. "I'm going to miss.. Most of you." Juliette then focussed her attention to Shelby, lounging on her bunk reading a magazine. Juliette smirked, knowing exactly what would evoke a strong reaction out of her fellow Cliffhanger. "C'mon Shelby," Juliette said smiling. "I need a hug."

Shelby looked at Juliette like she was crazy. "No, you don't."

Juliette stood over Shelby. "Yes, I do," she insisted, smiling broadly. Juliette subsequently threw her arms around Shelby, to Shelby's amazement and bewilderment.

"Stop strangling me," Shelby said, prying Juliette's arms off of her. "Get out of here."

Juliette grinned in satisfaction. "Haha! I got a hug out of Shelby!"

"And it'll haunt me for the rest of my life," Shelby muttered.

Juliette giggled despite herself. "Well, now I gotta say goodbye to the guys! And especially Auggie. I'm going to miss him so much!"

Shelby looked at Juliette, irritated. "Are you gonna keep talking, or are you going to get out of here?" she questioned.

Juliette grabbed her bags and headed towards the dorm room door. "Bye guys! I'll miss you!" 

"Bye Jules!" Kat called after her.

* * *

Juliette found the Cliffhanger boys, to none of her surprise at the basketball court, engaged in an intense match against another group. She set her belongings down on the sidelines and sat to watch for a few moments. 

Scott had caught the ball, and dribbled it easily down to the other end of the court, the other team frustrated with their fierce opponents. Scott passed the ball to Auggie, who took a shot for the net at the three-point line. 

When she saw that the ball had flown into the net, she cheered on her beau. "Yeah Auggie!" she squealed.

Noticing her presence, Auggie jogged over to her. The game was on hold. He subsequently noticed her bags, and realized that she was going. "Where do ya think you're going, twig?" he asked affectionately.

She grinned broadly. "Home! Give me a hug!"

"Alright," he said and put her arms around her. "Bye Jules."

"Bye Aug, I'll miss ya!"

"Hey, are ya cool with going home?" he asked suddenly, knowing her issues with her mom. 

"Yeah, I miss everyone back home!" she replied. "But I'm going to miss you even more!"

"Not as much as I'm gonna miss you!" he smiled. "Have fun, twig."

"Thanks Aug!" Juliette turned to Scott, who stood nearby. "Scott, give me a hug!" she ordered.

"You going home?" he asked as they hugged.

"Yup!" 

"Well enjoy it for all of us," he said.

"I will!"

"See ya Juliette."

"Bye Scott! Ezra you too!"

Ezra sped over to her."Alrighty," he said. She gave him a hug, and they said their goodbyes. 

Seeing Adrian on the court also, she called to him. "Adrian get over here and give me a hug!" she demanded.

He made his way over to her, and gave her a farewell hug. "Bye Juliette," he said.

"Bye," she replied, and he went back onto the court, taking his place as the play began once more. Seeing that she had hugged everyone and that the game back in process, she said one final goodbye. "Bye everyone!" she squealed. 

* * *

Juliette subsequently made her way to Peter's office. 

Opening the door, she immediately greeted her headmaster, who was seated behind his desk. "Hi Peter!" she said.

"Juliette," he returned, rising from his seat. "You got your bags?"

"Yep!" she assured him, raising her duffle bags. 

"Your mom is about to pull up any minute," he informed her.

"I know!"

"Are you ready for this?" Peter questioned seriously.

"I know I am," she assured.

"You have tools you never had before," Peter stated. "Be sure to use them."

"I will!"

Seeing the jaguar pull up through his office window, Peter turned to his student one final time before her departure. "Good luck," he said.

* * *

Juliette rushed to her mom outside. "Hi mom!" she greeted, putting her arms around her impulsively. 

"Hello Juliette," her mom said delicately, patting her daughter's back. She turned to the man who stood beside her. "This is Andrew," she introduced.

"Nice to meet you!" Juliette squealed, shaking his hand.

He smiled charismatically. "The pleasure is mine."

"Well, let's head home, shall we?" Juliette's mom said, twirling her car keys.

"Yes!" Juliette squealed.

* * *

Juliette watched as her mom twisted the key to her front door. She couldn't believe how excited she was to merely see her house. The door swung open. Inside, it was exactly as she had pictured it, preserved by memory. She entered her home, and removed her shoes. She slid her socked feet against the impeccably clean, smooth surface of the hardwood floor. Her eyes glanced upwards, remembering the chandelier that hung above her, encrusted with crystals. 

"This is so surreal," she remarked. 

"I'm glad to have you home, Juliette," her mom stated. "It has changed since you were last here, certainly, but for the better."

It didn't take long to notice the 'changes' of which her mom spoke. The halls were not the olive colour she had remembered them to be. It was now a more tasteful beige. She noticed that it had been refurnished, with new pieces of furniture, and unfamiliar paintings hanging on the walls. 

"I'm going to check on my room," Juliette informed her mom. She danced up the spiralling hardwood stairs to the 2nd floor of her house, or rather, her mansion.

Juliette found the door to her room, and opened it cautiously. It was untouched from since she had last been there. She slid her feet across the smooth floor to her bed, perfectly made. She sat down at the edge of it, awkwardly. Recollecting, she reached under the covers, and slid her arm under the fringed, decorative pillow. Her hand enclosed a familiar little container, and she closed her eyes. Despite her will, she removed it from under the pillow. 

"I never wanted to see these again," she said to herself. She looked at them indecisively. What to do with the diet pills, once her prized possessions. She gingerly put them back under the pillow. 

Juliette took a good, hard look around her. The last time she had been here, she had been sick, both physically and mentally ill. Her eye caught sight of the cordless telephone, and she bounded towards it.

She knew which number she wanted to dial, but couldn't remember it. She reached for her personal telephone directory, which was nearby. Once she found the number she was searching for, she dialled it, and put the phone to her ear. She grinned, biting her bottom lip to control her excitement. 

"Hello, can I please speak to Leigh?"

"Who is this?"

"Juliette Waybourne!"

"One moment please."

"Hello?"

"Hey, Leigh! It's Juliette!"

"Waybourne?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh hi! Where have you been? No one could figure it out! You just, like, disappeared! We thought you had been like, shipped off to boarding school or something!"

"Oh, well it's a long story!"

"Well, I have some time on my hands. Meet me at the forest park in a few minutes and you can tell me all about it!"

"Alright! See ya there!"

Juliette hung up the phone grinning- and bolted out of the door. 

  
  


* * *

"My mom shipped me off to this school in the middle of no where!" Juliette explained. She and Leah had met at a nearby park, a place they both knew well, and were seated on the grassy field. 

"Whoa, why?" Leah asked. She brushed her long, straight auburn hair out of her eyes, and returned her green eyes to the friend she hadn't seen or heard from in countless months. 

"She found out about the diet pills and laxatives and everything and decided she couldn't handle me anymore, or something, I don't know," Juliette said. 

"Oh, that sucks!" Leah remarked. 

"Yeah," Juliette agreed. "But aside from the rules and the fact that there is like no civilization there, it's actually not that bad! I made some really good friends!"

"So what kind of people go there?" Leah wondered idly. "Like delinquents and druggies?"

"You know, just like people who got their lives mixed and messed up."

Leah smiled mischievously. "I bet there's some hot guys there too, huh?"

Juliette grinned despite herself. "Yeah. Here, I even have a picture." Juliette reached into a pocket in her jeans, and removed a camp photo. "This is my group. We're called the Cliffhangers."

Leah examined the photo. "Wow. Who's that?" she asked, pointing to a particular someone.

"Oh, that's Scott."

"Hottie," Leah assessed.

"Yeah," Juliette agreed. "I went out with him when he first arrived. Then we broke up. See that guy?" she asked, pointing to another person in the photo.

"Him?"

"Yeah. That's Auggie. He's my boyfriend and my best friend there." Even though Auggie wasn't there, Juliette beamed like he was.

"What happened with what his name, Scott?" Leah asked curiously.

"What do you mean what happened?" Juliette questioned.

"No offense, but I'd take the gorgeous all American boy any day over him," Leah said, pointing to Auggie in the photo.

"There's more to people than their looks, you know," Juliette said defensively. "And besides, he has Shelby."

"Which one is that?"

"The blond girl." 

"This one?"

"No, that's Erika. The other blond girl."

"Her?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"So what's happened around here?" Juliette asked finally.

"Oh, not that much," Leah assessed. "Erin got pregnant and had to drop out of school."

"Really?" Juliette asked in disbelief. "Erin?" 

"Yeah, her parents were so pissed," Leah replied. "And no one but her seems to know who the dad is. Maybe she doesn't even know, no one really knows anything, we're all kind of in the dark. Of course, she is the subject of a lot of gossip at school."

"Alright, what else?"

Leah shrugged. "Everyone's just kind of changed, but that should be obvious, I mean everyone like changes in time. Kira got into drugs and started skipping school to get high. Her parents don't care, they don't even know. That's the advantage of being a spoiled rich kid like her. Your parents don't give a damn about you. And I got a boyfriend not long ago that I really dig."

"Oh cool, Leah. I'm so happy for you!" Juliette squealed.

"We've missed ya, Jules!" Leah said. "We had like, no one to buy our diet pills from once you were gone!"

Juliette's eyes widened, but she had to wonder why she was surprised. "You guys still do that?"

"Yeah, course," Leah responded easily. "You put on a lot of weight, I can tell. What happened to you? Do they like force-feed you there?"

"Leah.." Juliette began.

Leah interrupted her. "Like remember the pact we made? We made a pact, Jules, remember?" 

"Yeah, but I've stopped with all that stuff," Juliette tried to explain.

"Really? No way. You- Juliette Waybourne stopped with diet pills and everything?"

"Yeah."

"Did they like brainwash you?" Leah said in disgust, rising. "Call me when Juliette Waybourne reinhabits your body."

Juliette shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you, Leah. This is who I am now."

"Do you binge and purge still?"

"I try not to."

"You've changed girl," Leah assessed. "So much."

"Yeah, I have," Juliette agreed.

"You've changed too much."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Leah shook her head. "We're not in the same crowds anymore, Jules."

"Yeah?"

"Well, see, Kira wasn't the only one who got into drugs. We all did. After you left we couldn't get our hands on diet pills, but we could get ahold of pot."

Juliette closed her eyes. "Stop- I don't want to know more."

Leah ignored her. "Then we figured out as long as we were high we didn't have to worry about our weight. We don't have to worry about anything! I love getting high. It's way easier and way more fun then starving ourselves. I can hook you up if you want."

"I'll pass, Leah. You're disgusting."

"Say what you want. See ya Jules."

"Yeah, bye."

  
  
  
  


* * *

Scott inhaled deeply in the mountain air. Life couldn't get much better than this, he thought, feeling the weight of Shelby's head draped against his chest. This was freedom, this was bliss, being alone and so close with the one girl he loved. They didn't speak, but simply laid there, taking in the other's company. They didn't need words. 

This moment was perfect. A moment unlike his life. 

He could feel Shelby stir. "Screw class," he heard her say. "I'm not moving for the world." 

This brought a smile to his lips. This just was how it was- she completed him. She was his other half, and there wasn't a thing he didn't love about her. "Yeah, me neither, Shel. I'm never going to leave you, you know that? Not ever."

At this remark, she sat up and lost herself in his breathtaking blue-grey eyes. She smiled. Wasn't he just the greatest sight to take in? She could see the sincerity in his eyes like she could the most obvious thing in the world. But that didn't stop her from saying, "Yeah, right."

But in truth, she knew that what he said, he meant with every ounce of who he was. It was conspicuous.

Scott had to smile at Shelby's cynicism. "I'm serious, Shel," he replied. He reached over to her and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. She was, by far, the most beautiful thing in his life. "You know, now that I think about it, I'm so glad my dad sent me off here."

Shelby face maintained a genuine smile. "Yeah, why?" she asked, despite that she knew his answer as well as he did. 

She couldn't believe he loved her. That was just mind-blowing to her.

"Because of you, of course," he answered, smiling.

Shelby's smile grew broader at hearing the sincerity in his words. If this wasn't the greatest feeling in the world, she didn't know what was. 

"You're too cute," she said.

Scott raised his eyebrows. "Cute?" he asked skeptically.

Shelby grinned. "Haha.. Yeah," she said as she poked him playfully.

He caught her hand, and held it. 

Shelby felt his hand enclose hers, his warm touch. How she had managed to live without him, she couldn't fathom.

He smiled, that beautiful smile of his that always managed to take her breath away, regardless of how many times she had seen it.

"No, I'm serious," he said. "There's a reason I came back to you during the morp- 'cause I'd rather be happy here with you than get some scholarship."

Shelby shook her head at the craziness of it all. He'd rather have her than ensure his future. She marvelled at him. "You're crazy, Scott," she said finally. "But I love you for it."

Scott grinned despite himself. "I know," he replied playfully. "Well, what I'm trying to get at, is that I've been thinking about what you said last time we were at the docks."

"Uh huh?" she asked. 

"Yeah. About what we're going to do when we graduate, it's only a few months away. I've already passed up a scholarship for you, Shel. It would be stupid for me to pass something like that up for someone and then not continue on with it."

Shelby couldn't help but feel that it all was surreal. Here she was, in the wilderness of the forest, with an incredibly gorgeous boy, her boyfriend. And he loved her. He loved her more than the world.

"What are you saying?" she asked, but knowing already.

Scott touched Shelby's cheek tenderly. "How about it Shel- you and me, outside of Horizon."

Shelby fought to control her emotions. "Sounds good to me," she replied. "I love you, Scott," she continued, leaning towards him impulsively. Their kiss was passionate, and lingering, and she wished it could last forever.

When they broke apart, Scott answered, "And I love you, Shel. I'm never going to leave you, Shel, I promise. Unless you want me to go, and then I'll be gone in a heartbeat." 

Shelby smiled. "Trust me, that day will never come."

"I'm glad, Shel."

"You're amazing," Shelby said aloud, before she could stop herself. 

Scott returned her smile. "Nah," he replied. "But I'm glad that you think so."

  
  
  
  
  
  



	27. Running

Author's Note: Nope, we're still not at the core of the story, not even close. :D I've been updating quite a bit recently, I'm addicted to writing this thing. Oh, and I used a song in this chapter, Running by No Doubt, which belongs to No Doubt. ~Jazz  
  
  
  


Shelby was seated in class.. but she didn't hear a word that came out of her teacher, Jeff's mouth. Nor did she care to. Her thoughts were all directed towards a certain boy who wanted to stay with her for as long as she would have him. Perhaps there were such things as happy endings. 

She could see her teacher's lips moving, but instead of listening, hoped that what he said wasn't important. Whatever he has blabbering on about, it couldn't be as important as thinking about Scott. Scott- he truly was amazing.

"Shelby?"

Shelby's daydreaming came to an abrupt end when Jeff said her name aloud.

"Yes?" she answered.

"Have you heard a word of what I've said?"

Shelby laughed nervously. "Can't say that I have.."

The others chuckled, and Jeff sighed heavily. "You've just missed what material you'll need to study in order to pass next week's history exam. Would you like me to repeat it?" he asked, somewhat irritated.

"No, really, it's alright."

Jeff wasn't convinced. "Shelby, your grade depends on this."

But Shelby didn't come close to caring. "If you want to repeat it so badly, then, by all means, repeat it."

"But are you going to listen? If you're not, there's no point in it and I can grade you right now. And trust me, you're not going to be thrilled with the mark."

Shelby shrugged. Unconvincingly, and somewhat sarcastically, she replied, "Sure, I'll give listening my best shot."

Jeff took a mental note of this, and repeated his speech nonetheless.  
  


* * *

Juliette was seated at the lavish dinner table, elegantly decorated, an embroidered tablecloth, and matching dishes. Andrew and her mom were seated across from her.

"So Juliette," Andrew began. "I've heard a lot about you!"

Juliette smiled. "Some of it good, I hope."

"Oh yes," he replied conversationally. "You were quite the little beauty queen I hear."

Juliette winced. "Yeah," she began. "Once. I don't compete anymore."

"Why not? You're a beautiful girl," he stated. With a coy wink at her mom, Andrew continued, "You must take after your mother."

Juliette's mom was delightfully flustered at the comment. "Oh Andrew, you're such a dear," she replied.

Andrew raised his hands in surrender. "Oh no, just owing a beautiful, free-spirited woman her dues."

Juliette merely stared, as her mom's new husband poured on the compliments. Normally, she wouldn't care, but something about the exchange disrupted her.

"Juliette, I want you to take notes," her mom instructed, "This is the kind of man I want to see you marry. A man who knows your worth."

Juliette continued staring, not knowing how to respond. Luckily, Andrew intervened. "Anyways," he began, converting conversation topics, "Juliette, why not?"

"I haven't competed in like, years," Juliette replied. "And when I was sent off to Horizon, it's not like I could."

"So how was that experience?" Andrew asked amiably.

"It was good," Juliette responded. "I made some good friends."

"I met some of them, didn't I?" Juliette's mom added. "I met, what's his name, Doggie? And his parents during parents weekend. Lovely people," despite the compliment, Juliette was quick to know that her mom wasn't being sincere.

Juliette smiled. "Mom, it's Auggie, short for Augusto. Not doggie," she continued, laughing.

"Oh, my mistake."

"And you're returning on Monday?" Andrew asked Juliette.

"That's right."

Her mom was quick to say, "Juliette, dear, close your mouth when you chew."

"Yes. Right, mom."

"Will you compete in pageants when you get out of Horizon?" Andrew asked casually.

"When will you get out of Horizon, by the by?" her mom questioned.

"I don't think I'll continue competing," Juliette replied. "I want to do something with my life, I'm not sure what yet but beauty pageants are too competitive. And I'll be getting out of Horizon in a few months!"

"You must be excited," Andrew remarked. 

"Yeah, but I almost don't want to leave. We've really grown close, all of us."

"That's wonderful, darling," her mom said superficially.

"Yeah."

"Are you finished, Juliette?" her mom implied, more than asked.

"Uh, yeah," she said.

Juliette's mom rose from her seat. "I'll be a moment," she said.

"So Andrew, um," Juliette began, "do you have any kids? Is this your first marriage?" When she garnered no immediate response, Juliette said quickly, "I'm sorry if I seem intrusive, I just don't know anything about you!"

"Oh it's no problem," he replied. "You should be curious, after all, I married your mother," he stated.

"And you're going to be here a long time!" Juliette said hopefully.

Juliette was taken aback when his face was blank. He quickly recovered. "Uh, right," he said. "Well, um, no kids, first marriage. I grew up in Utah, moved to California. That's about it."

"I see."

Juliette's mom returned, making a grand entrance. "So.." she began. "Is my new husband and daughter getting acquainted?"

"You can be sure of it," Andrew was quick to reply.

"So Juliette," her mom asked, "what do you think of number 6?"

Before Juliette could reply, Andrew intervened. "Oh darling, you're so precious," he began. Juliette couldn't decide whether or not his words were sincere, and her mom was oblivious to her internal struggle of accepting 'number 6'. "I'm labelled as a number now? How flattering," Andrew continued.

"You know, I have a theory about my many marriages," her mom said. "I'm indecisive and I'm picky." 

"Mom," Juliette said, "You're supposed to figure out whether or not you like the guy you're marrying before you marry him."

"Don't tell me how to live my life, Juliette Waybourne," her mom snapped.

"Sorry."

"But I think I've made the right decision this time," her mom continued. "Don't you agree, Andrew?"

He smiled charmingly. "Of course." 

"By the way," her mom added, "I'll be away for the afternoon tomorrow, as I have an important rendez-vous to attend. I apologize for the short notice."

"Dear, will I ever miss you!" Andrew said.

"You're such a darling," Juliette's mom remarked. "Now I remember why I married you."  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


Peter decided to idly survey the campgrounds. It was well past lights-out, and all he could discern was moonlight and darkness.

It was a beautiful night, a warm breeze sweeping the grounds, and the trees, outlined by shadows, swaying gently.

It was then that he spotted it, taking place on the docks. He could discern two mops of blond hair gleaming in the moonlight, lips engaged in a passionate exchange. Hands clutching tightly at one another. He slowly advanced closer, to assure himself that his eyes weren't deceiving him. That was all that he needed to see, as he instinctively ran towards them, ready to end their fun.  
  


Shelby suddenly pulled back from Scott.

"Do you hear that?" she asked him idly.

Scott furrowed his brows. "Hear what, Shel?"

Shelby looked around nervously. "Someone's coming, I could hear a branch snap under their weight."

Scott paused, and decided that he, too, could discern footsteps in the night. "Shit, you're right. Over there," Scott pointed towards an imposing figure running towards them.

Shelby gasped. "It's Peter!" 

"Shit! Run!" Scott said despairingly. They ran, not knowing where they headed, only knowing that Peter couldn't be in two places at once.

  
  


~~~~Me ~~~~~  
~~I'm the one you chose~   
~~~~Out of all the people~~~   
~~You wanted me the most ~~~~~~  
~~~~~I'm so sorry that I'm falling ~~~~~  
~~Help me up lets keep on running ~~~  
~~~~Don't let me fall out of love ~~~~~  


The two blonds halted when they reached the entrance to the forest.

"Into the forest, c'mon Shel," Scott urged.

Shelby shook her head. "We'll never get out of there."

Scott looked behind them frantically, seeing Peter hot on their tail. "Would you rather get lost, or have Peter catch us? C'mon."

"God this is stupid," Shelby stated.

"We can do this, Shel."

"You'd better be right."

"Hey," Scott began, "I love you Shel. If Peter catches us, we'll be separated for sure."

Shelby nodded. "We'd never see each other again, knowing Peter!"

"If we're going to survive, we have to outrun him," Scott said. "For us, Shelby. C'mon, grab my hand."

Shelby reached for his and, gathering her courage, dashed into the forest.

"Into the forest, it is."  
  
  
  


~~~Running, running~~~   
~~~~~As fast as we can~~~~~   
~~~~I really hope you make it ~~~~  
~~(Do you think we'll make it?) ~~  
~~We're running ~~~  
~~~Keep holding my hand ~~~  
~~~~~~It's so we don't get separated~~   
  
  
  


They ran as fast as their legs could carry them, but somehow Peter never seemed to be far behind.

"Crap, he's not far behind," Shelby remarked as she had glanced behind quickly.

"Oh, shit," Scott said, glancing back as he ran. "C'mon, we have to speed it up."

"I can't, Scott."

Scott couldn't believe her words. "Well, you have to try, c'mon."

"I can't see a freaking thing," Shelby complained. "Let's hide or something."

Scott glanced back again, paranoically. "He's getting closer, we can't give up."  
  


~~~Be ~~~  
~~Be the one I need ~~  
~~~~~Be the one I trust most ~~~~  
~~~Don't stop inspiring me ~~  
~~~~~~Sometimes it's hard to keep on running ~~~  
~~~We work so much to keep it going ~~~  
~~~~~Don't make me want to give up ~~~~~~~~  
  


"Scott, stop," Shelby instructed, but he failed to oblige.

"We can't," he stated. "What's wrong?"

"I have a cramp, I can't keep this up," she explained.

"Shit," Scott said, slowing to a jog. "K, climb on my back, I'm going to carry you."

"Well it's not like I'm going to protest," Shelby said as she hopped onto his strong back.

Scott smiled, as he adjusted her on his back. He subsequently began running. "This'll sure be something to tell our kids about, eh?" he remarked.

Shelby was skeptical. "We're going to have kids, Scott?"

Scott grinned. "Yeah, tons of 'em."

Shelby shook her head, smiling broadly, despite the circumstances. "You are so.. beyond description."

"Glad ya think so, Shel."  
  


~~~~~Running all the time ~~~~  
~~~Running to the future ~~  
~~~~~With you right by my side ~~~~~~~  
  


They travelled far into the forest, Shelby still snugly on Scott's back, her arms wrapped around his neck. 

"I can't see a thing," Scott stated, suddenly coming to a stop.

Shelby was her cynical self. "Good, so I'm not the only one, huh?"

"Shit, this is serious."

"Hey, maybe not. If we can't see a thing, chances are neither can Peter," Shelby reasoned.

Scott nodded, coming to the same realization. "Yeah, you've got a point."

"I say that we park here for the night and conveniently sneak back into our dorms before anyone notices we're gone," Shelby smirked deviously, "and so then, Peter can't pinpoint us."

Scott let her slide off of his back. "Sounds good, babe." Teasingly, he added, "You're so brilliant."

"I know," Shelby replied grinning. 

Scott seated himself on the forest floor, and Shelby climbed into his arms. 

"I love you Shel."

"I love you Scott," she replied.

"Goodnight."

"Night."

* * *

"Wake up, you two."

Shelby and Scott were jolted awake by th imposing voice of their headmaster, looming over them. It was early morning, sunlight radiating through the countless rows of trees.

"That'd better not be who I think it is," Shelby said into Scott's chest, but knowing their fate. 

"Shit. We're screwed," he whispered back.

"Yup. That's for sure."

"He can't keep us apart," Scott continued. "He can try, but he won't succeed."

Shelby smiled. "He couldn't keep us apart if he put us on different ends of the earth.  
  



	28. Note

AUTHOR'S NOTE: 

  
  


Sorry, no chapter. But it's on the way. It's not like I'm too busy with other stuff, I don't really believe you can ever be too busy for writing if you love it. And it's not that I've lost interest in the story because that's not the case at all! I'm actually really excited to get the real story in this fic started, and it's about time! Had I actually some kind of clue what I was doing when I first began this fic, some kind of vague direction as to where it was heading, I would have written it differently, but it's kind of been developed as it goes on. I've gotten ideas as the story went on (the S&S especially..). Frankly, I'm amazed I even get reviews because it takes soo long to get nowhere. But that's gonna change in the next few chapters. When I get to them. The story will be on hold for about another week and a half or so- I'm actually working on another fanfiction, and I've gotten a tad addicted to it, and it's important that I finish it. It's actually a Hayden Christensen fanfiction, but it's Eco challenge inspired (for those who don't know, Hayden competed in Eco challenge last October or so) and being Canadian, it's already aired here. But it has yet to air in the United States. After seeing Eco Challenge I was so inspired to write a Hayden fanfic, and I want to finish it about for the time it'll air for Americans, which is next week. But I dunno guys, want me to post it??? Or give yall the web address for it when I put it on my site?? I take it there's probably some Hayden Christensen fans here (this is Higher Ground fanfiction after all- lol-) and yeah I think Hayden's amazing so it was kind of hard to not write fanfiction dedicated to him.. ; )

Sorry for the delay guys, I know I'm usually pretty good with updating, but I guess my streak is broken. 

To Lauren: Wow, thanks! Your comments on the review page is basically why I took the time to write this, I'm amazed that I'm putting someone through withdrawal by not posting the next chapter -lol- (the chapter is actually somewhat completed, I have all the dialogue written, I just have to add in all the stuff in between- that's how I write, it works best for me) it amazes me that you like my story so much, so this is for you. I just didn't want you to check this story every day for updates to not avail, so know that it'll come in a week or so! : )

  
  


Thanks! 

-Jazz 


	29. Developments

  
  


Shelby was seated outside Peter's office, merely waiting. It was all that she could do, and every moment of nervous anticipation was agony. Peter was lecturing Scott inside, likely sealing his fate. With every passing moment, punishment was likely burdening Scott's shoulders, and that she couldn't hear a word of it, a word of what would become of them was the worst of it. She would find out soon their fate, but for now, she sat idly, waiting. 

---

  
  


Scott sat, slumped, in Peter's office. 

"Scott," Peter began, seated at his desk across from Scott. 

"Yeah?" Scott replied disinterestedly.

"You know that all of our actions have consequences."

Scott folded his arms impatiently. "Yeah."

"You know that being out past lights out garners punishment," Peter continued.

"Uh huh."

"And you know that there is absolutely no sex here."

"Who said anything about sex?"

Peter held Scott's gaze as he spoke. "How am I to know what went on last night, huh, Scott?"

Scott shrugged. "You can trust what I say, but that might seem far-fetched for you."

Peter's gaze didn't waver. "So what possessed you to do what you did?"

Scott met his gaze. "To do what?"

"Don't play that game with me, Scott."

"You don't get it," Scott stated.

"What don't I get?" Peter questioned.

"I love her," Scott said outright. "Did you hear that? I love Shelby."

Peter sighed wearily. "Scott, you know that I don't discourage bonding."

Scott merely stared, not bothering to respond.

"But you and Shelby are taking it too far," Peter continued. "Horizon is a sanctuary, Scott, a place where you can get away from problems from everyday life. But you're creating those problems for yourself. You know that I can't have that"

"Yeah, why not?" 

"You're bending too many rules for her sake," Peter explained. "I'm going to have a talk with Shelby later but, I know that, for the most part, the relationship between you and Shelby has had a positive impact. She opened you up, you broke down her walls. But this is past that."

"What don't you get?"

"I understand where you're coming from Scott, but I can't have it. You not only break two rules, you run from the consequences. But you couldn't outrun them, Scott."

"So... what consequences?" Scott asked, almost not wanting to know.

"You and Shelby will be on shuns for the next week, and you will not have any contact whatsoever until the week is up. Is that clear?"

Scott shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

"But that's not all," Peter continued. "That you tried to run from me, you garnered more. I'll sleep on it, and let you know what I come up with in the morning."

"Alright."

Peter scrutinized his defiant student, finding Scott's willingness for punishment interesting. "Scott, you do understand that I have nothing against bonding."

Scott didn't even bother to meet his headmaster's gaze. "Whatever Peter," he dismissed.

"The direction your relationship with Shelby is taking isn't good, Scott," Peter explained again. "The relationship could have serious repercussions. You not only disobey the rules, you run from confronting them head on. That isn't a healthy path that you and Shelby are taking. Do you understand?"

This time Scott met Peter's gaze. "Understand? Understand what, Peter? Understand that you can't be human if you separate me from Shelby? Understand that you don't have a clue what I'm feeling? Understand that I didn't come back to Horizon to deal with you? Understand that you don't have a clue what's healthy in my life? Cuz I get all that."

Peter sighed wearily. This isn't going to be easy, he thought. "Scott, I know you feel strongly for Shelby."

"You don't even know," Scott stated.

"Well why don't you enlighten me?" Peter questioned.

Scott's expression was stolid. "It's like I said, I didn't come back to Horizon for you."

"Scott, I know what's it's like to be a teenager. Hormones are running high, you're trying to figure out who you are.. But Scott, Horizon is meant for you to get your life back under control, and you can't do that with Shelby."

"Whatever, man," Scott dismissed.

"So it's clear?"

Scott shrugged, reluctant, but not desiring more punishment. "Yeah, sure," he said, not meaning a word of it. 

Peter motioned towards the door. "Send Shelby in."

  
  
  
  
  
  


Scott headed outside, and shut the door behind him. He found Shelby awaiting him. She stood at his presence, and walked towards him. 

"Hey Shel," Scott said. The mere sight of her calmed him, he was constantly reminded why he sacrificed so much for her sake. He subsequently motioned toward the door, a small smile on his features. "The executioner wants ya."

"How was it?" she asked anxiously.

"Welll.." Scott began, "we're in for a lot."

"Restriction?" Shelby questioned.

"Shuns."

Shelby winced. "Ouch. For how long?"

"A week," Scott shrugged. But a grin subsequently spread across his face. "But it's nothing we can't overcome."

Shelby smiled back at him. "Yeah." 

"Hey, meet me in the boys dorm in two hours, k Shel? Everyone should be in class."

Shelby nodded, smiling. "Alright Scott."

Scott motioned towards the door to Peter's office again. "You'd better get in there before Peter starts to suspect something."

Shelby gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and started towards the door. "K, bye Scott."

Scott grinned. "For now."

"Yeah." 

"See ya."

  
  
  
  


* * *

After sitting through 'the lecture' from Peter...   
  
  
  


Shelby waited endlessly. Again. She was seated in the detention room, doing assigned work with Claire Fletcher, one of the counsellors watching over her like a hawk. Shelby's eyes drifted towards the clock every few moments. Time seemed to have slowed down just to irritate her.

It seemed like the hands of the clock would never get to 12:00. 

But eventually, they did. 

Shelby rose from her seat. "I have to go to the bathroom," she said.

Claire Fletcher glanced at her watch. "You have two minutes."

Shelby ambled out of the room, and darted towards the boy's dorm, very pleased with herself.

Shelby arrived at the boys dorm. She opened the door, to find it empty, save for Scott. "Hey Scott," she said, smiling. 

He stepped from his bunk towards her. "Hey beautiful."

Shelby closed the door to the dorm before she forgot. "You know what?" she said, "I have two minutes, but I'm sure they won't mind if I'm late."

Shelby put her arms around him.

"I'm not even gonna ask," he replied. And suddenly they were kissing, engaged in a sweet exchange.

That they were supposed to be separated only ignited more desire.

Scott suddenly pulled away, and touched her face tenderly."Hey, we've got to figure out a plan to see each other the next week without anyone knowing," he said.

Shelby nodded in agreement. "Yeah.. Ok, how about the janitor's shed, everyday, noon."

"Alright," Scott replied. "That'll work."

[...]

  
  


* * *

Shelby returned to the detention class, her teacher's arms crossed as she entered. 

"Shelby. That was longer than two minutes."

"Oh sorry about that, it's just that I.." Shelby racked her brain for an excuse, and suddenly it came to her. "I had some girl issues to attend to."

"I see," her counsellor replied. "Well, get to work." 

Shelby seated herself at a desk, hiding a broad grin, thoroughly pleased with herself.

  
  


* * *

Peter was seated at a table, along with several members of his staff. "There's a few issues that need addressing," he began. "The first one being Scott and Shelby." 

Jeff nodded. "Ah," he said, not surprised.

"Yesterday, past lights out, I was wandering around the grounds, and found the two heavily kissing. They spotted me, and decided to run into the forest, thinking they could evade me, or outrun me or something of the sort. When they didn't return early morning, I ventured into the forest myself, found them asleep in each other's arms," Peter explained.

Jeff merely chuckled. "Why is it that that doesn't surprise me?" he said. 

Peter furrowed his brows. "And why is that?"

"Shelby hasn't been paying attention in class lately, she seems to be in this daydreaming mode where she didn't even care if she'd fail an important exam," Jeff explained.

"Shelby actually left restriction room," Claire added, "to supposedly take a trip to the bathroom and she came back half an hour later thoroughly dishevelled."

"And what was her excuse?" Peter questioned.

"She said that she had some girl issues to take care of, at the time I had presumed she meant her period," Claire stated. She subsequently chuckled, and said, "Now that I think about it, her need for being with Scott could constitute as a girl issue."

Peter sighed wearily. "This isn't good."

"What are we going to do with them?" Jeff asked.

Peter shrugged. "Scott told me that he's in love with Shelby," he said. 

Claire exhaled slowly, assessing the situation.

"I put them on shuns," Peter continued, "but they need more than just that."

"Sleep on it," Claire suggested.

"I don't want to discourage bonding," Peter began, "but this is too far, there are rules here."

"They'll be out of here in 3 months," said Jeff. "What do they expect to do when they get out of here?"

"I don't know. But while they're togther, they seem to improve, I think they will be ready to get out into the real world. But now their relationship is causing negativity, breaking rules, not paying attention in class, skipping detention.."

"I say sleep on it," Claire suggested again. "Things tend to turn out better when a little thought is put into it."

Peter nodded. "I will."

  
  


* * *

[time span]   
  
  
  


It was past lights out, and Peter roamed the campgrounds, but to no avail. On this night, there was no secret romance progressing in the light of the moon. 

Peter returned to his office, and slumped into his chair, mulling over present events endlessly. As mental gestation progressed, a sudden knock came at his door. The door to his office subsequently opened, and it proved to be his secretary, peering inside. 

"Peter, you have a call from a Martin Barringer," she said.

"Alright," he replied, and rose from his seat, and proceeded from his office to the front desk.

The secretary picked up the phone again, and handed it to Peter. "Here," she said.

"Hello?" Peter said into the phone.

"Hello Peter, it's Martin Barringer. I received a call from the football coach from Scott's old highschool yesterday, who asked how Scott was doing." 

Peter assessed this. "Un huh?"

"From the weekly updates you've supplied me with, I responded. But there was reason for his call." 

"And what was that Mr Barringer?" Peter questioned.

"Apparently, their star quarterback is injured, and can't play in the state championships," Martin explained. "The coach said that he wants Scott to return, that he'll give him a second chance if he adjusts well and gets adequate grades. This is every athlete's dream- a second chance." 

"Alright," Peter assessed.

"I want Scott to make a decision."

Peter glanced to his watch. "It's past lights out, so he can't make it now," he said. 

"I understand," Martin replied. 

"Mr Barringer?"

"Yes?"

"It could very well be possible, Scott seems to have gotten rid of the anger," Peter stated.

"And his stepmother's gone, so that shouldn't be an issue."

"Yes. You can tell Scott this tomorrow yourself, you can phone him with the news." 

"Alright. Thank you Mr Scarbrow."

  
  


After saying goodbye, Peter hung up the phone. This was definitely a new development. And if Scott were to leave- the situation with Shelby and Scott would dissipate. There would be no more meetings past lights out, and a huge burden would be pulled from Peter's shoulders. This could very well be the answer, he thought. Scott seemed to be doing well, Peter reasoned, and he seemed to have gotten rid of the anger. But Peter couldn't be sure if Scott had really gotten rid of the anger, or if it had been Shelby.

Peter returned to his office, lost in thought. 

  
  


* * *

The next morning..   
  
  
  


Scott picked up the phone. "Hey dad," he said.

"Hello Scott, there's some news."

Scott twiddled with the phone cord as he listened to the news impatiently. He had already made up his mind. "Dad, forget it. I'm not going home."

"Why not? This is every athlete's dream, a second chance."

"I can't."

"Have you given up football?! Scott.."

"No, I just can't leave," Scott replied, irritated.

"And why is that?"

"I don't want to, okay? I'm not leaving her. Bye dad."

Scott hung up the phone abruptly. There was no way in his mind that he'd leave, especially after promising Shelby that he wouldn't. What did it matter anyways? It was doubtful that he'd still get his scholarship. Besides, Shelby was far more important than pleasing his dad.

Martin was left baffled. A second chance.. Only a select few athletes were presented with the opportunity of a second chance. And his son was willing to give it up. 

For what reason? What possible reason? 

All he knew was this- that he wasn't going to allow his son to pass it up. It was unfathomable. Scott would thank him someday, he reasoned.

Martin sat back in his swivel chair. He would find a way..


	30. Helpless

Author's note: woohoo.. Two chapters up in a day! Hopefully this makes up for the fact that it's like, a week late. Now, the story's going in a completely different direction, and I'm having loads of fun writing it. Hope y'all enjoy reading these past two chaps. :) ~Jazz  
  
  
  
PLEASE READ: Read the chapter previous to this one if you intend to understand this one at all. I uploaded two chapters at the same time, and y'all are going to be totally confused without reading the previous chapter. Thanks~

* * *

Martin Barringer stared blankly at the road ahead, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for the traffic light to change colors.

He had been driving for hours. It was a long trip that he was making, a long but very necessary one in his mind. 

This was about his son's very future. 

He watched the traffic light turn green, and he put his foot to the pedal, all the while lost in thought.

There had to b e something wrong, he pondered. It had been a miracle when the coach had called his residence, shown to him that all hope was not lost. There was no way he was going to let his son be idle, watching the opportunities drift by him. It was unthinkable. If he were not to take action, he decided, he would be a poor parent, even worse than Scott thought him to be. And that thought was unbearable. 

There had to be reason for Scott's refusal, Martin knew. Had Scott grown too accustomed to the nurturing ways of Horizon? Had he grown dependant? What could it be?

Peter had said that Scott was ready. But Scott had made it clear that he wasn't. What as going on that he didn't know about?

Martin reached the wilderness and isolation of the mountainside, he was drawing nearer to Horizon, one thought in his head: I am not going to let my son throw away his future.  
  


* * *

Peter sat at his desk in his office, shuffling through the mounds of paperwork stacked before him. It was an ordinary day, as far as he knew. 

A knock came at his door, and he called, "Come in."

He was stunned to see that the visitor was none other than Martin Barringer.

"Hello Peter," Martin greeted, closing the door behind him. 

"Mr Barringer," Peter returned, "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes, actually," came Martin's reply. "Scott is throwing his life away."

Peter set down his paperwork momentarily. "How so?"

"He wants to stay here," Martin responded, sounding thoroughly baffled, and as though he was trying to make sense of it all. "Before, he was jumping to get out of here, and now that he has the opportunity to leave, to make something of himself, he wants to stay. I don't understand it."

Peter furrowed his brows. "He doesn't want to go home?"

"That's right. This is his final chance, there isn't going to be one after this, and he's willing to pass it up. He can still get his scholarship, but he doesn't want it." There was a note of desperation in his voice. 

"Hmm," Peter assessed. 

"I know that Scott and I don't have the best relationship at the moment," Martin rambled on, "but that can change, especially with Elaine long gone. She's a distant memory." 

"So he doesn't want to go home?" Peter repeated.

"That's exactly it," Martin responded, growing impatient. "Can you tell me why this is?"

Peter leaned back in his chair as he thought, mentally ran through the possibilities, but one jumped out at him, and it made him uneasy. "The only reason I can think of is, that maybe he wants to stay for Shelby," he said.

"Shelby? Who's Shelby?" Martin demanded.

"They've grown really close," Peter replied. "So close, in fact, that they are both on shuns at the moment."

"What are you telling me?" Martin asked outright.

Peter shrugged, and recounted it as simply as he could. "He's in love with a girl."

Puzzlement crossed Martin's features. "That's it? That's why he's willing to pass up a scholarship? A girl?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah, that's what I think. You can ask Scott yourself if you want," he offered.

"I asked him over the phone why he was willing to pass it up, and he wouldn't tell me. Said that he couldn't leave," Martin related. 

"Then, would you like me to have a talk with him?"

Martin nodded immediately. "Yes. Put some sense in his head."

"Alright," Peter assessed. "I'll do that."

Martin sighed in relief. This is all going to work out in my, and Scott's favour, he thought in relief. "Thank you Mr Scarbrow. I appreciate it. There's no way I'm going to let him give up his future a second time."  
  
  
  


* * *

Scott stood at the closed door to Peter's office. Here's my death sentence, he thought. The day before, Peter had promised that his mass of punishments was not yet done accumulating. What's the worst he could possibly do, what's the worst punishment he could possibly come up with? Scott thought, but quickly brushed the thought aside. He could think of plenty of things. 

Scott knocked at the door, and opened it ajar. 

It was just Peter, with a ton of paperwork keeping his hands occupied. 

"You wanted to see me?" Scott asked.

"Yes," Peter stated simply. 

"Come up with my punishment yet?" Scott questioned impatiently.

Peter drummed his fingers on his desk. "Actually Scott, recent events have put that on hold."

"What recent events?"

"Your old football coach.." Peter began. 

"Yeah, I know, my dad told me," Scott interrupted. "And I don't care because I'm staying right here."

"Scott, you might still have a shot at the scholarship," Peter explained. "You won't if you stay here."

Scott furrowed his brows. "So what, you want to get rid of me that badly, huh?"

"I just want what's best for you."

"I think I'd know what's best for me, and it's right here." Scott's voice was unwavering, and insistent.

Peter folded his arms. "And why is that?" he questioned.

"Why do you think?" Scott asked, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why don't you tell me."

"Here's a hint," Scott said, "I'm not staying for you."

It was easy to read between the lines, especially since they had had a similar conversation not long ago. "But you want to stay for Shelby?"

"Yeah," Scott asserted. "You've got a problem with that?"

Peter's tone was serious. "That's not in your best interests, Scott."

"And so you know what my best interests are, huh?" Scott challenged.

It was a moment before Peter replied. Scott already knew the answer his own question, and so Peter didn't waste any time bothering to respond. "What are you going to do when you graduate from Horizon?" Peter asked quietly. 

"I don't know," Scott admitted freely, "but it'll be with Shelby."

"Scott," Peter began, "don't let something get in the way of your future."

There was fierce determination in Scott's eyes. "Shelby is my future. That's all."

"And you know that for sure?" Peter questioned. 

"Yes," Scott replied easily. "Are we done yet? You're not going to change my mind."

* * *

Peter sat slumped in his chair. What had begun as a simple decision had now escalated into a feud between father and son. And he was in the middle of it all. 

Martin entered his office. 

"So how'd it go?" Martin asked immediately.

"Well," Peter began, "it's definitely about Shelby, but he has his heart set on staying. With her."

He watched the grim realization take over Martin's face. But Peter could discern it in Martin's eyes, the same fierce determination that his son so relentlessly carried. 

This was not yet over. 

* * *

Shelby sat on the bench located in the janitor's shed, waiting for Scott. It was noon, they had a 'meeting' arranged, since otherwise, they had no means of seeing one another. 

He suddenly emerged into the shed, but it was not his usual self. There was a wild look in his eyes, a look she didn't immediately recognize.   
  


"Hey Shel," he greeted her. 

"Scott, what's up?" she asked immediately. 

Suddenly, his arms were around her, holding her tight. It was like he couldn't let her go, like she would slip from his grasp if he did. He held her face in his hands, and their gazes locked. "I'm never going to leave you," he said.

Shelby scrutinized him. "Good to know.." she replied. "But where did that come from?"

His eyes drifted from hers, and she recognized the look conspicuous in his eyes at last. Conflict? Inner turmoil? Or was it fierce determination? "My dad phoned today and was like, the football coach wants me back on the team cuz his star quarterback is injured and whatever," Scott explained quickly. Their eyes met once again. "But there wasn't a question in my mind."

Shelby's eyes widened. "Scott!" she exclaimed. "So you had another chance? And you turned it down."

He grinned at her. "Just for you, beautiful."

His smile was contagious, and she found that she, too, was smiling. "Why?" she asked eventually.

She knew that look in his eyes anywhere. Genuine sincerity. "I promised you, remember?"

"Oh, Scott," Shelby said, not knowing what to make of this revelation. Again, he had turned down his future for her. But she wanted him to know that it wasn't done for a lost cause. She smiled at him. "That's so sweet, not to mention crazy, but sweet."

"I love you, Shel," Scott said seriously.

She smiled at him. "I love you."  
  
  
  


* * *

"Mr Barringer," Peter said finally, "I think Scott's made his decision. I have work to do." 

"So that's it?" Martin demanded. "You're going to let him give up his future?"

Peter reached for his paperwork. "He loves this girl fiercely," he explained. "There's no swaying him."

Peter transferred his gaze to the relentless parent, and noted the lost gaze, deep in thought. He shifted his gaze back to his paperwork, when he heard Martin's voice, full of hope once again.

"Maybe not."

"What do you propose?" Peter questioned.

"Obviously, the problem is the girl," Martin stated. "What kind of girl is she? Does she know that Scott's giving up his future for her?"

"She's a decent girl, they make quite the pair. I don't know if she knows this situation with Scott that has arisen. I'd hope not, because they're both on shuns and aren't supposed to have contact," Peter replied. 

"If there's any hope that Scott will get on with his life, make something of himself, she has to have a hand in it," Martin said. 

Peter set his paperwork down, and focussed his full attention to the situation at hand. "I agree, but she's an independent girl. I doubt that she'd aid in a plan to send away Scott."

"Let me talk with her."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Mr Barringer," Peter replied. 

"You can be present," Martin responded easily. "I just want what's best for my son, and at the moment, it's not her." 

Peter sighed wearily. He pondered it, and decided that he, too, wanted the best for Scott. "Alright," he agreed finally. 

  
  


* * *

Shelby entered Peter's office. She hadn't been surprised when she heard that Peter had requested her presence. It could be any number of things, she reasoned. 

But she hadn't been anticipating what lay inside Peter's office. Peter, and another man, a black-haired, forty-something man of whom she recognized. Scott's dad. She had caught a glimpse of him when he had come to visit Scott some time ago. But what could he possibly want with her? 

"Shelby, sit down," Peter instructed. 

"Hello," she heard Scott's dad say, "I'm Scott's dad, Martin Barringer."

"What is this?" she asked immediately.

"Shelby, I'm not sure if you are aware, but Scott now has a second chance at a football scholarship," Peter said. 

She nodded. "I know."

Peter furrowed his brows at this revelation. "How so?"

Shelby knew that there was likely reason for this unusual session, and that she'd better be honest. "Scott told me," she replied quietly. 

"You're both on shuns," Peter stated.

Shelby rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know," she said.

"What else did he tell you?" Martin asked curiously. 

Shelby didn't bother answering the question. "What did you bring me here for?" she asked outright.

"Scott doesn't want to go, doesn't want his scholarship, because of you," Martin stated. 

"Un huh," Shelby assessed.

"But this is future, and he's throwing his life away by staying here," Martin continued.

She couldn't help but get a little defensive. This was not how she had first anticipated to meet Scott's dad. "So him staying with me is throwing his life away?"

"He can still get the scholarship. It's the state championships, there's still a chance. And they need him," Peter explained. 

Shelby blinked. "So what are you saying?"

"We need your help," Martin responded. 

"To do what?"

"Convince Scott that he needs to go. You're the only one who can get him to do anything," Martin admitted.

Shelby shook her head. "There's no way he'd do it."

"Why not?" Peter asked.

"He.. The truth is.." Shelby began, trying to figure out how exactly to put it."He.. made me a promise," she said eventually.

"A promise? What kind of promise?" Peter questioned.

"He promised that.. he'd never leave me again."

Martin could hardly believe what she was telling them. "You made him promise that?!" he asked incredulously.

"No, he promised me that himself. I didn't ask him to make it," Shelby explained.

Peter regarded her seriously. "Shelby," he said, "do you want what's best for Scott?"

"Yeah, of course I do," she replied.

"Then you have to convince him to go."

"I couldn't do that if I tried," Shelby responded. "The only way he'd go is if he thought I didn't love him anymore." 

"Then that's the answer," Martin declared. "To all of this. You have to convince him that you don't love him, so then he'd have no reason to stay."

Shelby shook her head. "I can't do that," she said outright.

"Why not?" Martin demanded.

"I love him, and he loves me."

Martin glanced towards her. "I'm not seeing the problem."

"Shelby," Peter addressed, "do you want to be the one holding Scott back? In the long run, it'd be better if he left. It's just a few months sooner."

It took all that she had to refrain from welling up with tears. Convince Scott that she didn't love him? Unimaginable. Unthinkable. What a horrifying concept, she thought. There was truly nothing she'd rather do less. 

Peter apparently could read her face like a book, as he replied, "Shelby, I know this might be hard for you, but please consider it. This is our final resort." 

"Just think about it," Martin stated, somewhat unsympathetically. He added, as an afterthought, "I'm sorry that we had to meet like this."

Shelby swallowed. "It's alright," she said finally. "I understand. I don't want to understand, but I do." 

"So are you going to give it a shot?" Martin questioned. 

She gave him a look. "I'm going to think about it." It was all that she could do, at that moment, to contain herself. She felt like she was going to explode. 

"Thanks Shelby."

Shelby subsequently left the room without another word.   
  


--

Peter turned to Martin. "Well," he said, "it's a start."

"Yeah." 

* * *

Shelby stormed into the girl dorm, and flung herself onto her bunk rather ungracefully. 

The angry display caught Kat's attention immediately. "Shelby?" she asked softly. "What's up?"

Kat turned to see that Shelby was lying face-down on her bunk. "Shelby?" she asked again. 

"Oh nothing," came the muffled, sarcastic reply. "It's just been the worst day of my entire life. No need to care."

Daisy watched this thoughtfully, not surprised.

"Are you okay Shelby?" Kat questioned. 

Shelby sat upright. "No," she replied furiously. "I am not okay. I am not even close to being okay. Life is so fricking unfair," Shelby said, and flung a pillow across the room. She subsequently bounded onto her bunk again, and refused to face the Cliffhanger girls.

"Shelby?"

"What the hell is the point of living?" Shelby rambled. "I mean it's not like things ever turn out the way I want them to." 

When no one could reply, Shelby fled from the dorm, outside. Daisy thought she had discerned a tear on Shelby's cheek, but it didn't surprise her. 

The cliffhanger girls exchanged uneasy, and confounded glances.

"What's up with her?" Amber remarked. 

"She is faced with a difficult, heart-breaking decision," Daisy replied solemnly. "I read it in the cards." 

"Can we do anything?" Kat asked her.

Daisy merely shrugged. "I don't know," she said helplessly.   
  
  
  


* * *

Her head in her hands, Shelby cried helplessly. The one person who could make her smile at this moment she couldn't love. Worse yet, she couldn't tell him she loved him more than the world. She had to make him believe she didn't love him at all. 

I don't have to go along with it, she reasoned. But each time she brought this thought up, she reminded herself that this was Scott's future. She knew that he promised that they'd live happily ever after once they got out of Horizon, but how realistic was that exactly? Could they, really?


	31. Decisions

Long Author's Note: 

  
  


Hey y'all.. Okay, first of all I've got a few reviewers to address! (Thanks for reviewing btw.. I appreciate it so much.)

I'd actually advise my normal readers to read my responses, these are good questions asked and my answers will probably aid a lot of people's comprehension of this craziness of a story, maybe even add some more depth. 

  
  


Emma Morgan wrote: Okay, first of all, i'm gonna say that i love your story. but then, i want to ask this: do you honestly think you're being realistic about two things: Peter, and Shelby?rnfirst, why on earth would Peter be thinking of this situation the way he is, and why would he be so willing to send scott off. don't you remember in "because i love you" he was so opposed to martin taking scott away.rnsecond, never in a million years, would shelby even think about saying that she didn't love scott... that was kinda unrealistic.rnthird, i'm so confused about something. where is SOPHIE? lol, i haven't read the beginning of this story in a long time, but i don't remember anything happening to her.

  
  


Here's what I have to say:

  
  


Alright, this might take a while to answer fully, but it's really quite simple.. 

1- Peter. See, there was a reason why the whole incident with S&S getting caught out at the docks and whatever happened. Peter doesn't discourage bonding, but he sees this happening, and to him, it's unsettling. He's frustrated. He thinks that they're taking it too far, and he's kind of torn as to what to do. He doesn't want to separate them forever, because they've healed together. But keeping them together, and them continuing on like they are, to him isn't an option, they're braking too many rules, Horizon is a place to get back on track, not a place to get emotionally and physically attached to someone, only to be separated from them when graduation comes around. Suddenly, Scott's dad calls him up, and new possibilities emerge. This whole situation can be solved. He reasons, you know, Scott's doing alright, he might still have a shot at the scholarship, why not let him go, even if it means scheming a little bit because of his (Scott's) strong attachment. Peter didn't think Scott was ready to go home at the end of the initial HG series, but in mine, time has since passed, and he wants what's best for Scott, and in his eyes, that's football, not Shelby. That's how I see it.. 

2- Shelby. I can see where you're coming from, she loves Scott more than the world and it's hard for her to conceive letting him go, especially after he came back, turned down a scholarship for her, let alone convince him that she doesn't love him. She told him to go on with his life, because he could, in the last episode of the series. She's very realistic-minded, where as Scott isn't, really. She knows this is about his future. Obviously it's important, she walks in Peter's office, to find Scott's dad desperate to save his son's future. Why wouldn't she consider it, let alone think about it? It's about Scott's future, and since Scott doesn't have much sense of reality, she kind of feels like it's all fallen on her, she can't talk to Scott seriously about it, because he won't even consider it. To him, there's only one reality, and it's not even the 'real world', so she feels like she has to be strong for both of them. He has this perception that it'll all work out regardless, that they can always make it work. Shelby knows better, so is it really that inconceivable that she'd think about it? 

Now, about Sophie.. Dunno, I guess I forgot about her. Nothing's happened to her, she's just not important at the point that I've reached in the story. That's all there is to that. 

Thanks, and I hope that explained things more clearly and directly.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Midnight-Sky wrote: Hm...it's kinda like the movie "Moulin Rouge," when Nicole Kidman's character has to convince Ewan McGregor's character that she does't love him, but she really does...but I like it anyway :p 

My reply..

That's exactly it. The whole plot thing with S&S at this point in the story, as I've described in a previous Author's note, is a thorough mix of Moulin Rouge and The Replacements. The Replacements is all about second chances for football athletes, Moulin Rouge, about unlikely love that is doomed for failure. I think I watched both movies one after the other in the context of days, and I was writing Higher Ground fanfiction, didn't have a clue what to do with the story I was writing, and a light bulb just turned on in my head or something, lol. It's not the most original thing, since I drew obvious inspiration from such great movies, but I think that when you write stories, you do draw a lot of inspiration from your world, it's amazing sometimes to look back on stories, and then realize so clearly where you drew inspiration from to write that. I don't really think there's such thing as new stories- only old stories told in different ways, and I haven't seen HG fanfiction like the moulin rouge/replacements mix, so here's my contribution. It's almost like there's two different, separate stories, the whole thing with Erika, and then all of this other stuff, but I've made it so that it all intertwines in the end. I really want to rewrite the first, oh, 20 or so chapters, but lol, I don't think I can do that just yet. I want to move forward with this story, not backwards. I can backtrack when I'm done.

  
  


To everyone:

Please keep an open mind when you read this next chapter, and know that I am a die-hard S&S fan myself, and although I drew certain plot points from Moulin Rouge, my story doesn't share its ending. Not even close. I can guarantee that much, and I can also say that how it will all tie up in the end will probably be surprising, but it's all going to work out, I promise.. 

:) thanks..~

  
  
  
  


* * *

* * *

It was early morning at Horizon. A tired figure seemed to be the only one awake at this hour, wandering aimlessly.   
  


Shelby traversed the campus to be alone with her thoughts, in an effort to sort them out. Her mind was painfully alive, more than aware of the decision burdening her shoulders, but her body was tired from lack of sleep. There had been no way that she could have found sleep with such a decision weighing so heavily on her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about it. 

Scott was essentially all that she had here, really. All that she had in the world, and he often filled her thoughts. His chiselled face, that breathtaking smile that made her weak in the knees. The way he almost always knew the right thing to say. The way he looked at her, those gorgeous eyes. His warmth.

Now, he was all that filled her thoughts. Him, and that damn decision that had fallen upon her.

Scott's future depended on her decision, on her. She knew that she wouldn't forgive herself if she chose the wrong thing. She might spend a lifetime regretting it. She had true love, and was more than aware of it, and the thought of losing it, of never seeing Scott again was the worst thing she could imagine. 

But was that just being selfish? Of course she wanted Scott for herself. But what about Scott? She knew that he loved her, he told her as often as he could, and he had chosen her over a scholarship once before. But had that really been the right decision? She had thought so, he had thoughts so, but now she couldn't help but wonder. 

Love, especially teenaged love, didn't always last forever. Didn't always end a fairytale ending. What if they didn't last in the real world? What if they didn't stand a chance? Then, would he forever regret choosing her over a scholarship? 

Thinking about it was almost too much to bear. Such painful thoughts, but she had to think them through. She so desperately wanted to make the right decision. 

All the while knowing, so painfully aware that whichever decision she came to would cause her heartbreak. Her decision was a double edged sword, but she didn't have a choice. 

She continued wandering around the campus, hopelessly lost in thought, drowning in her own thoughts.

  
  
  
  


Shelby sat down, leaning against a solid oak tree, and put her head in her hands. She was determined to think this all through, to come to the right decision. 

But it came increasingly evident that she couldn't do it alone.

  
  


Shelby returned to the girls dorm, and walked inside. It was still, untouched since she was last here. The rows of beds were filled with students, eager for every minute of sleep they could possibly have before the sun rose and morning chores and classes began.

Shelby plopped down onto Daisy's bunk, which caused Daisy to stir, and awaken. Daisy rubbed her eyes open, to find Shelby before her, desperation and confusion in her eyes. It was obvious that Shelby wanted help of some sort. 

"Daisy?" Shelby asked.

"Yeah? What do you want?" Daisy asked.

"I need some.. advice."

Daisy sat upright, trying to give Shelby her full attention as well as she could so early in the morning. "Well," Daisy replied, "you came to the right person. I'm listening."

"It's about Scott," Shelby continued. "He has a second chance."

"But you're torn about it," Daisy replied knowingly, "you don't know what to do." 

Shelby gave her a look, which prompted Daisy to say, "You know it's in the cards. But anyways, go on."

"It's basically all fallen upon me."

"Well of course it has," came Daisy's familiar cynical reply. 

"He has another shot at the scholarship, but he won't go because of me.." Shelby began.

Daisy held Shelby's uncertain gaze. "Shelby," she stated.

"Yeah."

"What do you want to do?"

"I want Scott to stay here with me, of course," Shelby replied. "Forever, if I could have it."

Daisy's facial expression didn't change. "But what to do you need to do?"

"I don't know. Get Scott out of here, convince him to go on with his life."

"Are you sure?" came Daisy's mysterious reply.

"I don't know, dammit," Shelby said. "That's why I'm asking you what to do." 

Daisy looked at her seriously. "What is your heart telling you?"

Shelby had to look away. Tears were welling up in her eyes, because she knew what her heart wanted so clearly, but it seemed to her to not matter. "My heart loves Scott more than the world, he's all that I have. I love him.. so much, and I never want that feeling to go away."

Daisy's face was unreadable. "Love doesn't go away, Shelby. It'll only go away if you forget.. you keep it in memory, you keep it alive." 

Shelby turned to her. "So what should I do?" she asked outright.

"I can't tell you what to do," Daisy said patiently, "do what you think is right. But you know, if you love him, you'll let him go. Do you know that quote? Do you know how it ends?"

The statement startled Shelby. She scrutinized her friend's face, but found that it was still unreadable. 

Shelby pulled herself off of Daisy's bunk, and darted from the dorm, Daisy watching after her, unsurprised.

Shelby only made it out of the dorm, when tears started flooding from her eyes. All her life, she'd had it hard. When she had finally gained something, something amazing, it seemed everyone, even her best friend was urging her to let go of it. But to do so would destroy her.

She needed Scott, desperately still. He'd shown her love like she'd never known it to be, like hell she was going to let go of him. 

What's with this, she pondered, is everyone against me? 

Is happiness really too much to ask?

  
  


* * *

Amber stared up at the ceiling, lying on her bunk idly, one man occupying her thoughts. Scott's going to be mine someday, she thought. 

Those eyes, that winning smile, he was perfect in her mind. She scarcely knew him, although she had convinced herself that it was otherwise.

As if he can resist me for much longer, she continued thinking. It's all an act, I know it. He's just pretending to be with Shelby, but he really wants me. Of course he wants me, she thought. No guy can refuse me. Shelby is nothing compared to me. How did he end up with her, anyways? He was probably desperate, Amber reasoned.

Amber chuckled aloud. Yeah, that's it. I've figured it out, she thought. Of course that's why he's with Shelby, he's desperate. Amber laughed again at her cleverness.

Amber rose from her bunk, and darted outside. She was supposed to be in class in mere minutes, but she didn't come close to caring. 

She made her way to the woodshed, where she knew Scott would be. She opened the door, and walked inside, quietly shutting the door behind her. 

"Hey Scott," she said, a smirk on her face.

Scott hadn't even noticed her presence until she had addressed him. He was surprised to find that it was Amber, and he reached for another stock of wood as he replied. "Do you need something?" he asked.

Amber's smirk grew broader. "Yeah," she said, drawing nearer to him.

Scott stopped what he was doing momentarily, and asked, curiously, "What are you doing?"

Amber grabbed the front of his shirt. "C'mon,"she said, "I know you want me. And I want you, too."

A puzzled look came over Scott's face, as he removed his shirt from her grasp. "Listen," he said impatiently, "when did I ever give you indication that I 'wanted' you?"

"But you do, don't you?" Amber replied obliviously.

Scott rolled his eyes impatiently, and returned to his wood-chopping duties. "Amber, reality check, I'm with Shelby."

"But you don't want her, do you?"

"Actually, I do," Scott replied easily, as he swung the axe down, splitting the log in two . "More than the world. I'm on shuns, I don't have to talk to you."

A broad grin spread over her face as she replied, "I'm not asking you to talk."

Scott grabbed another piece of wood to slice. "Amber, get the hell out of here. Why don't you go bother someone else?"

At this remark, Amber was furious, and smacked Scott across the face. 

"What the hell?" Scott commented.

"Stop lying to me!" Amber screamed angrily.

But that was too much, and Scott erupted in a fit of laughter, while Amber, seeing that her endeavour was unsuccessful, stalked off, to find another prey.

  
  


It wasn't hard to find, as she came across a cute, raven-haired boy, sitting alone, sketchbook in hand. She wondered why he wasn't in class, but not for long, as she came and sat down beside him. 

"Hey," she said to him. 

"Hey," Adrian replied distantly.

"What are you doing?"

"Drawing," he said, not even glancing towards her. Ever since Erika had gone, he hadn't been the same.

"Want to have some fun?" she asked, grinning.

"No," he replied easily.

"Why not?" Amber demanded.

"Because you're not Erika," he responded.

"Who the hell is Erika, and there's no way she's better than me," Amber said haughtily.

"Actually there is," Adrian replied, still not even bothering to look at her.

Amber yanked him off the ground. "C'mon," she said, grabbing his hand and leading him towards the janitor's shed. 

  
  
  
  


* * *

Shelby lay on her bunk, alone in the girl's dorm, journal in hand. 

So many emotions flooded her head, it was hard to distinguish them all, let alone write them down. She knew Peter would be reading her latest entry, and so she addressed it directly to him. A journal entry, that was, by far, unlike any she'd written. It read, 'I hate you for this. You may have saved my life, but for this, I will hate you forever. I can't forgive you for this, for allowing this to happen, for having this fall upon me.'

Tears streamed down her cheeks, as she continued writing. 'I hate you. I want to kill you for making me think that I have to separate myself from Scott.'

She dabbed at her teary eyes, and glanced to her watch in one motion. It was 12:32 pm, and she hadn't attended Scott and her's daily meet-up at the janitor's shed. Something that Scott was bound to notice. 

She had come to a decision, deciding to go along with the plan, despite all the pain it caused her. And would cause Scott. She reasoned that Scott had a future to live, and could still go do it. It would be like saving his future, saving his life. 

She hated the decision she had come to, but she felt that it was necessary beyond her control, and that Daisy's words rung true. She had no choice.

Shelby heard footsteps approaching, familiar footsteps, long, casual strides. She prayed that it wouldn't be who she already knew it was. 

Shelby closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply, knowing what she must do. She had recited what she would say a thousand times in her head, but to actually enact it, out loud, to Scott..

A knock came at the door, followed by it opening to reveal a familiar, gorgeous figure, the one she loved with every ounce of who she was. Scott.

Shelby didn't look at him when he entered, didn't think she could face him and say what she had to say. She opened her journal to a blank page, and started writing- her feelings. Her very feelings, to keep from exploding into a thousand shards. She jotted down, 'Nervous. Scared. Devastation.'

She didn't see it, being so engrossed in her journal, and concentrating so hard to not look at Scott, that there was a small smile on Scott's face at the mere sight of her. They were both living in oblivion.

"Hey," he said, closing the dorm room door behind him. "You're late, you know."

Shelby closed her eyes, and recited what she had to say aloud. "Go away Scott," she said quietly, but directly. In her journal she wrote, 'I hate myself.' 

Scott furrowed his brows. "What?" he said, glancing around the room. "What's going on?" When no reply came, he took a few steps towards her, saying, "Shelby?"

Shelby didn't look at him, but she could feel him drawing nearer, and she fought to contain herself. "Scott, we're on shuns," she said quickly, impatiently.

"And Shelby, I love you," he replied.

Shelby squirmed when he had said this, and jotted down 'Dread. Horror,' in her journal. She felt like she'd erupt in tears at any moment. "Yeah?" she replied, against her will. "Well, it's not mutual."

Scott's face was blank, as if swaying between confusion and horror. "What? What's up with you?"

Shelby jotted down 'Agony', in her journal. She suddenly turned to him, and found that he was mere feet away from her. "Did you hear that Scott? I don't love you."

But she had been right when she had thought that she wouldn't be able to say the words, and face him. A tear emerged onto her cheek, but she quickly brushed it away, and diverted her gaze.

"Yesterday you did," she heard Scott reply. 

"Yeah," she began angrily, "well yesterday's gone." Tears now ran freely down her cheeks.

"Are you alright?" Scott asked, taking a few steps closer, wanting to hold her and wipe away her tears. "Shel tell me what's wrong."

Shelby tossed her journal and rose from her bunk, so that she was standing. "Nothing's wrong," she said, not meeting his gaze. "The only thing that's wrong is.. you."

He neared her closer, closing the space between them. Evidently, her words still hadn't caused their desired effect on him. Scott, Shelby thought distantly. You know that I still love you, don't you? So strong, not easily swayed. Damn, am I ever going to miss you. 

"Shelby, look at me," he said, locking his arms around her slowly. "What's going on with you?"

Locked in his strong arms, she met his gaze. And what a beautiful gaze it was, although his eyes revealed confusion and sadness, those blue-grey depths of his were, as always, absolutely mesmerizing. She knew how it felt to be enveloped in his arms, caught up in the moment, and how beautiful those eyes of his were, but she decided that she had to memorize every last detail about him, since this would probably be the last time she'd be in his arms. Her last real glance at her one true love. What a depressing thought, she pondered, but shrugged it aside. She had to be strong.

Her eyes ran over his face slowly, assessing all that she possibly could, so that she could remember it always. He was her true love, they were destined to be together, and they both knew it. Hopefully fate would intervene when he'd gone, and they'd meet again, but there was no guarantee of that. Not even close. She remembered what Daisy had said so carefully, love was only forgotten if you allowed it to be. 

She decided, that with all that she would lose, she would assure that she still, at least, had that. That if she couldn't ever be in his arms again, she would still have vivid, untarnished memories. 

So she assessed everything she could in that moment, his strong jaw line, the way emotion travelled on each of his features, and those eyes, those unforgettable eyes. They pierced into the beholder, leaving a forever-lasting impression. The way it felt exactly to have no sense of time or space, for it to be like only they existed. How it felt with his arms wrapped around her so tightly.

He was looking at her so intently, and she was suddenly aware that there would not only be effects on her, but on his part as well. It killed her to know that she'd hurt him, but hopefully, the good of getting out of Horizon would overwhelm the bad.

It had been long moments since Shelby had said anything, wearing a blank face, which prompted a thoroughly confused Scott to say, "Shelby?"

She looked straight at him. Oh my god, she thought. I can't do this. His blue eyes bore into her, and she couldn't look away.

If she had thought that the mere concept of convincing Scott that she didn't love him was horrifying and unthinkable, actually doing it, locked in his arms and his gaze, was an infinity worse. Actually doing it while those eyes of his bore into her was the entire world's agony inside her, tearing her apart, its magnitude unmeasurable. 

Shelby opened her mouth to speak, and forced the words out. "I don't love you," she said, praying that her face betrayed no emotion, and that her knees wouldn't buckle from under her. 

Scott didn't say anything, he merely stared, baffled, at the girl of whom he had promised to spend forever with. His grip on her loosened, and without another glance in her direction, he turned and departed, so thoroughly confounded. 

In that moment, like so many times before, Shelby's world shattered from under her, and she collapsed onto her bunk, horrified at what she had just done, to herself, to Scott. All for Scott's father, and the knowledge that Scott would be alright, and would make something of himself. She had thought that it would be for the better. 

  
  


Scott only made it a few steps outside of the dorm, when he collapsed against the exterior wall, his head in his hands, trying to make sense of the unimaginable that he seemed to have fallen upon. 


	32. Twisting Sword

Author's note: Thanks for reviewing, y'all. Again, I have to say, keep an open mind while reading this chapter. I love S&S together, I think they're so cute, but you'll just have to see what happens with them in my fic. ;)

I apologise for neglecting a few storylines- Juliette visiting home, Adrian, etc. They'll come into play more over the next few chapters.

Thanks, again. Now, onto the chapter....

  
  
  
  


* * *

Scott didn't make it back to his detention room in a while, unable to tear his thoughts away from Shelby. He couldn't make sense of it. 

As far as he had known, up until today, things were perfect. He had promised her a future with him, he was following his heart, they would be getting out of Horizon in mere months, and it would all work out. But somehow, something had happened, taken place, so that what they had no longer was. 

He knew she wasn't telling him the entire story. She couldn't be, he thought. Something had to have taken place, something that he was unaware of. Did she want to drive him away?

It seemed everyone wanted him to pursue football instead of staying with Shelby. His dad had phoned him up trying to persuade him to leave, he'd had a long talk with Peter, even Shelby, now, it seemed, wanted him to be elsewhere, anywhere but here.

He couldn't make sense of it. Had he done something? What had happened so that she now felt downright cold towards him? He didn't get it. 

He didn't know what to do now. Didn't have an inkling of a clue. Shelby was pushing him away, and meanwhile, he had turned down a second shot at a football scholarship for her? What had happened?

The truth was, he didn't care a bit about the scholarship. He only cared about Shelby. When he couldn't make sense of things, she could. When there was no else there, she was. When he couldn't tell anyone else, couldn't trust anyone else, he could tell her, he could trust her. 

He couldn't say the same about football. 

She was his confidant, his love, his one true love. What the hell had happened? Where had he gone wrong?

It was tearing him up inside, he didn't know what to do. This was the worst possible thing that he could imagine- Shelby not loving him anymore. And lo, and behold, it was a reality. He couldn't imagine life without Shelby, without that cynical humour of hers that he'd come to love, that knowing smile. They'd shared so much history, the highest highs, lowest lows, and suddenly, it all meant nothing.

  
  


Now he sat in detention room, a pile of work before him lay untouched. He couldn't think straight, let alone work. Shelby consumed his thoughts.

He couldn't take it any longer. 

He rose from his seat, which prompted the detention teacher to question what he was doing. He didn't bother answering, the teacher didn't matter. Only Shelby mattered.

In his mind, if he didn't have Shelby, he didn't have anything. 

He left the detention room, closing the door behind him, and ran out of the building, all the while, the detention teacher was pursuing him. Scott didn't have her permission to leave.

Scott found himself outside on the grassy field, and ran towards the Cliffhanger girl's dorm. 

It had been a few hours since his confrontation with Shelby, but it wasn't enough to convince him that it was all over. It couldn't be, he refused to abandon hope. Of everything, he was most faithful in his love for Shelby. It couldn't be over.

It couldn't be over, he repeated over and over in his head. He would deteriorate without her, and was well aware of it. 

Scott knocked at the door of the Cliffhanger girl's dorm, and Kat opened it. Scott could discern his detention teacher running after him, but he didn't care.

"I need to talk with Shelby," he told Kat.

Kat turned around. "Shel?" she said, "Someone needs to talk with you."

Scott stepped through the door, and closed the door behind him. Nearly all of the Cliffhanger girls were there, but it didn't matter.

  
  


Shelby raised her eyes when she heard her name, but was distraught to see that it was Scott. He still hasn't given up, she noted. "Go away Scott," she said. He was only making it more painful, on her, and on him. She couldn't be with him, no matter how much she so desperately wanted to. He had to go on and live his life. 

"Why?" he demanded to know, drawing closer to her.

"I don't love you!" Shelby practically shouted. "Don't you get it?!"

  
  


Kat's jaw dropped when she heard this. Was this really happening? She turned to Daisy, who was beside her. "Did she just say what I think she said?" Kat asked her. "There's no way she means that," she added, shaking her head.

Daisy shook her head grimly. "I guess she's made her decision," she muttered to herself.

  
  


"No, I don't!" Scott exclaimed. "One day you love me, the next you don't!" He neared her, where she laid on her bunk. He sat on the edge of the adjacent bunk so that he'd be facing her, and lowered his voice as he continued. "Tell me," he said.

Kat and Daisy merely watched, unable to move, let alone tear their eyes away from the scene unfolding before them. 

"What? Tell you what?" Shelby demanded.

Scott locked his gaze with hers. "Why."

"Why? Why I don't love you?" Shelby shouted. She momentarily paused, racking her brain. How could she answer? "Because people change, situations change!" 

"That's it? That's your excuse?" Scott questioned. His voice was just above a whisper. "Shelby, did I do something?"

Shelby's voice, in contrast, was hard and cold. Where she had been emotional in their first confrontation on the subject, she was now hardened, saddened, now angry. Angry at Peter, at Scott's dad, at the world. Angry that fate had made it clear that it wasn't meant to be. "You were just being yourself, but that's enough to push me away."

She could discern the pain on Scott's face as the words slipped from her mouth. He rose. He had tried to be understanding and patient, but his patience, and his heart had limits to how much he could bear. "Shelby!" he exclaimed. "What's going on?!"

Shelby rose from her bunk as well. "I don't love you! I don't love you!" she screamed. The words were hoarse and strained as she screamed them. To actually scream those words, to Scott.. inflicted physical hurt. 

Scott closed his eyes. This isn't happening, he tried to convince himself. Her words burned into his mind, and the limits on his patience and heart with Shelby had been reached. He had tried. But he still didn't understand, didn't learn anything more. The words kept repeating themselves in his mind, and he felt like he was going to go insane. Unable to bear it any longer, he fled from the scene, from the dorm, to find the detention teacher awaiting him outside the dorm. 

Shelby had seen the pain on his face, he was in anguish, anguish that probably rivalled her own. But she had to do this, she reminded herself. She opened the door, watching him with his back to her, leaving. "I don't love you!" Shelby called after him.

Scott didn't turn around, he couldn't.

Kat and Daisy merely watched as Scott had left, and Shelby broke down, erupting in a fit of tears.

Kat had watched it take place, thoroughly baffled, she had seen the pain on Scott's face. She looked at Shelby now in disgust. Shelby was crying hysterically, contradicting everything she had just told Scott. Kat couldn't stand for it, and took after Scott. 

  
  


"Scott!" she called after him, running to catch up. He didn't even glance to who was calling his name, Kat noted. He was accompanied by the detention teacher, but Kat felt he needed to hear what she had to say.

"What are you doing?" Kat asked him.

He turned to her suddenly, abruptly, and his expression scared her. There were tears welling in his eyes, and his face had taken on a hard look. Pain lined his face. He was angry, confused and saddened all at the same time, juggling the emotions. "What does it look like I'm doing?" he demanded, his voice raised. "I'm obviously wasting my time here." 

Kat held his gaze. "There's no way that she meant what she said."

Scott responded through clenched teeth. "Well, she must have, because she said it." 

"Scott," Kat addressed him. "I don't know what's gotten into Shelby." Seeing that she hadn't garnered a response, she added, "Scott, it'll work out, it's going to be okay."

Scott halted. "No, it won't," he said, coming to the realization at that moment. "The one person I love, I gave up my future for.. Suddenly decides she doesn't give a crap about me. It's not going to be okay. I tried, Kat."

"So you're giving up?"

Scott shrugged helplessly. "It doesn't look like I can do anything.." he said.

The detention teacher interrupted them, finally. "Scott, this all sounds interesting, but may I remind you that you're on shuns?"

Kat departed from their company, heading back towards the girl's dorm.

  
  
  
  


Kat re-entered the girls dorm, her eyes fixed on Shelby as she stepped inside. 

"Shelby?" she began. 

Shelby's eyes met Kat's. "Leave me the hell alone," she declared, curling up into a ball.

"Shelby, you've pushed him away, and you'll be pretty lucky if he comes back to you after that," Kat stated.

"You don't know," Shelby answered bitterly, tears in her eyes. "Get out of my damn business, Kat. You don't know. You don't have a clue how much I love him."

A confounded look came over her face. "Then why don't you tell him that?!"

"I can't!" Shelby exclaimed. "Dammit, I can't."

Kat merely shook her head. "Shelby, you're scaring me."

  
  


* * *

It was 7:00pm.   
  
  
  
  
  


Scott was allowed to get back to his dorm before the next group session, and he did just that. He entered the dorm with sad eyes, and a beaten down expression, Shelby's words still weighing heavily on his mind. It was all he could think about, and he wasn't sure if he still had his sanity. Auggie was draped over his own bunk, tossing the basketball to himself and catching it idly. Ezra was writing in a notebook, lying on his own bunk. Strangely enough, Adrian was nowhere to be found.

It was unusually quiet when Scott arrived. 

Auggie passed him the basketball, and he caught it easily. "Life sucks, you know that, muchacho?" Scott said as he tossed the ball back to his friend.

"Well aware, home," Auggie replied, catching the basketball. "It's so boring around here without my girl Jules." 

Scott fell, slumped, onto his own bunk. "Shelby hates my guts."

"Yeah, why?" Auggie asked curiously.

"No clue."

Auggie chuckled. "Women. A hard bunch to figure out." 

Ezra momentarily tore his attention away from his writing. "Well, aren't we all a bunch of happy campers?" he noted.

"That's right EZ," Auggie replied. "And where's Adrian? He'd love to mope with us."

Scott cracked a smile. "Yeah, he's been complaining like hell ever since Erika left."

Auggie bounced the basketball on the dorm room floor. "Man, he *still* has that picture of her out," he said, indicating the drawn portrait, laid out on Adrian's night stand. 

Scott laughed. "Yeah, I know," he said. "It's unbelievable."

A moment of silence ensued, each consumed by their own thoughts.

It was interrupted by a heavy sigh from Scott. "Life sucks," he stated. To himself, he muttered, "I can't believe it."

Auggie continued dribbling the basketball. "Wonder what Jules is doing now?"

"Well, it's 7:00, after supper," Scott remarked, turning to Auggie. "She's probably barfing." 

"Home! Don't diss my girl."

"Sorry man," Scott said distantly. His thoughts inevitably drifted to the group session, that would take place in mere minutes. 

  
  


* * *

Shelby could feel his gaze on her. The chairs were arranged in a circle, and Scott was seated across from her. She wanted to lift her gaze to meet his, desperately. She wanted to look in his eyes, and stay in his arms forever so badly, so helplessly it was almost pathetic. This was the state she was in, consumed by fantasy, but gripped with cruel reality. She had to restrain from welling up in tears right there. This may be the last time she saw him, and was well aware of it, helplessly aware of it. Kat had been right when she said that Scott wouldn't keep coming back to her after all she'd done, all she'd said.. All lies. Every word of it lies. She loved him more than the world, and that she couldn't tell him that, tell him she loved him infinitely was killing her. 

Her body was weak. It was incredibly draining to maintain a charade, and for her sake, she hoped it would all soon end. Her heart was deteriorating irreparably, every time she uttered those words. Those damn words.

"Hello group," Peter announced finally. "Anyone have anything they'd like to address before we begin?"

Shelby prayed that Scott wouldn't speak up.

"Yeah. I do." 

Shelby closed her eyes. Sure enough, it was Scott's voice. She understood why he would, he did love her, after all, and he refused to abandon hope. He was the kind of person who followed his heart above all else. She could understand his reasoning, although it pained her. 

She wasn't sure she'd have a heart left, after he was done with it.

"Alright," Peter said.

"There's this girl who I love so much," Scott began, "but she doesn't love me. She loved me yesterday, but not today."

Everyone's eyes drifted to Shelby, who sat wordlessly, staring blankly ahead.That sword wedged in her heart, he twisted. Unknowingly, but nonetheless, he twisted the sword in her heart. He added to the pain to that her heart already carried.

Her heart heavy, she tried to be strong.

"Scott, what are you doing?" she asked him. She had tried to make her voice sound hardened, but she couldn't be sure how the words had come out. She could only hope that it was convincing.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he questioned. "You still haven't explained it to me."

"There's nothing to explain," Shelby replied stolidly.

"I think there is," Scott insisted. He looked directly at Shelby, his emotive eyes piercing hers. "This is tearing me up inside, Shel. Tell me the truth. I deserve that much."

"The truth is.." Shelby began.

In her mind, she would have liked to reply, 'that I love you more than the world, that this is a charade that Peter and your dad helped organize because they don't realize how much I love you, how much we need each other. I love you so much, and the worst thing I've ever done, and will ever do, is that I made you believe otherwise.'

But the words that came out of her mouth were far different. "The truth is.. that I don't love you." She added, as an afterthought, "Get over it."

Scott rose from his seat, and despite Peter's urging to sit back down, didn't listen to him. He barely even heard him. As far as Scott was concerned, there was only Shelby.

"Why?!" Scott said, raising his voice. "Tell me why! I deserve to know why!"

Shelby didn't answer him, merely staring ahead blankly, frustrating Scott further.

"Shel." 

"I don't love you."

Peter watched this intently. "And how does this make you feel, Scott?"

Shelby glanced towards him headmaster momentarily, before fixing his gaze on Shelby again. "Man, it's the worst thing in the world. Why? Answer me, please!"

Again, she didn't answer.

"Shelby?" Scott pleaded.

Still no response.

"What are you trying to do to me?"

Shelby met his gaze, finally. She saw his pleading eyes, full of desperate determination. This was killing him too, she knew. "Don't make this any harder than it is.."

Amber was growing bored with it all. "C'mon Scott, she doesn't love you. Accept it, already."

Scott ignored her. "Shelby.. You don't mean that."

"I do." 

Scott slowly slumped back into his seat. He looked down at his hands, as he tried make sense of it all. He transferred his gaze to Shelby. "Shelby, I love you."

Almost mechanically, Shelby replied, "I don't love you."

Scott's gaze didn't waver from her, unaware of the rest of the group watching, transfixed. "What do you want from me?"

Shelby breathed deeply. She wasn't sure just how much longer she could keep up this charade. "Nothing. That's what I want from you- nothing."

Scott locked his gaze with Shelby's. But he could no longer bear it. He stood, and impulsively reached for his own wooden chair, consumed by frustration and confusion, and anger. He smashed it against the floor of the dorm, outside of the group circle. Just as quickly, he was gone.

Shelby could feel tears welling up in her eyes as she watched Scott's angry display. She watched as the fragments of the wooden chair spread across the floor. She was hurting him. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Unwilling to be so vulnerable with her emotions in front of the group, she, also, fled from the room.

  
  
  
  


Scott reached the boy's dorm, slamming the door behind him when he had entered.

He could no longer bear it.

Scott slumped onto his bunk.

Shelby's words tore into him, and were eating him alive. He didn't know what to do with himself, with the situation with Shelby, with anything. He was merely existing, with no grasp on his own life.

Shelby. If only she knew what she was doing to him. She was his world, and he wanted it to be that way forever. 

What was she doing? He didn't understand in the least, couldn't make any sense of it at all. What could have possibly triggered the sudden change of feelings?

It had to be something huge, whatever it was, Scott decided.

Scott put his head in his hands, and he found tears leaking from his eyes. Why didn't she love him? 

Shelby was his world, he cared more about her than anything. He'd dodge a bullet for her. He'd go to the very end of the earth for her. She was his world. And since she decided that she didn't love him anymore, it was about the equivalent of the end of the world. 

And to think, he was passing up his future to be with her. She didn't even love him.

His head snapped up. 

He'd come to the realization that he didn't have to stay here, if the opportunity he'd been presented with still stood. He realized it probably did.

Could he really? He pondered it. If he left, he'd probably never see Shelby again.

But then again, Scott thought, she probably doesn't want to see me again.

But despite the reality of their present situation, Scott couldn't help but remember the good memories. Memories of skipping class to spend time with her, and tell her he wanted to spend forever with her. Memories of coming back to her at the morp, and twirling her around. Coming to the realization he didn't want to live without her.

They were long gone, barely discernable in the distance, but he knew he'd never forget her. She was the one for him, there could never be anyone else. 

But evidently, she didn't think so.

Scott pulled himself off of his bunk, and began collecting his things, shoving them into a duffle bag. 

He looked around. So many memories here. Was he really willing to leave it all behind?

He decided that he was.

Moments later, Scott still packing his things, Auggie entered the dorm. "Yo home," Auggie began, "what are ya doing?"

"I can't take it," Scott replied, stuffing a sweater into the duffle bag, "I don't understand it, and I can't take it." 

"So what now, you running away?"

Scott zipped up the bag. "I've got another way out," he replied.


	33. Emptiness

Author's Note: Alright, here's the next chapter. A warning, it's a tad depressing. But I'm kind of trying to replicate the kinds of stories I like- one where everything seems to be headed in one direction, the wrong one, but a happy ending still, somehow emerges at the end of it all. (I'm an incurable optimist, a hopeless romantic myself, I like to think that happy endings can exist. Not perfect endings, but happy ones..) Since some of y'all have kind of gotten like, really emotionally attached to this fic, I'm going to assure y'all that the ending is a happy one, although it probably won't happen the way you'd expect ;) You'll just have to wait and see.. Thanks for reviewing, I totally appreciate it.. :)  
  
  
  


* * *

"Shelby has done it," Peter announced, drumming his fingers against his desk. 

"She has?"

"But I think she's driving Scott and herself both, insane."

Martin Barringer shrugged. "Well, I'll take my son, sane or not."

"You owe her a huge thank you," Peter said pointedly. "I can't imagine how she drew the strength to do what she did."

Martin nodded. "I understand," he said.

A knock came at the door to Peter's office, which followed with the door opening. 

It was Scott.

"Hey," Scott said. His gaze transferred to the unlikely presence of his dad. "Dad. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing," Martin replied.

"Oh," Scott assessed. "Well, is the offer still up? The football?"

"It's still up, Scott." 

"I want to take it, to get out of this place," Scott stated. 

"I'm glad to hear that," Martin said, relieved. "So what caused the change of heart?"

"Ah, nothing. I just thought I had something worth staying for.. but I really didn't have anything." 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Shelby's body wracked with uncontrollable sobs. 

The pain in his eyes was etched so vividly in her memory. Such beautiful eyes, and such anguish fleeting in them. He doesn't deserve this, she thought. Not for a moment did he deserve this, to have the people around him scheming his own life. Obliviously, he is forced to stumble along with it. 

Never had she anticipated that their parting would play out as it had, their relationship tainted with her lies, all for the promise of a brighter future.

She knew only one thing for certain: with Scott no longer present in her future, so much would change. Now, she would have to wake up knowing that she wouldn't kiss him again, wouldn't hear his sweet words, wouldn't see him ever again. Maybe not until forever.

The prospect of it sent tears cascading down her cheeks- once he was gone, she would have no real reason to live. She knew she'd never love anyone again like she'd loved Scott. 

And as she lay there, draped across her bunk, alone in the girl's dorm, a blank look came across her features. Grim acceptance, demoralizing defeat, horrifying realization. More tears streamed down her face.

It was done. There was no turning back. She'd done it, but at what cost? 

A sudden idea sprang to mind. One last breath.

Their time together had been an amazing journey, one Shelby knew she couldn't forget if she tried. But the last thing Shelby wanted was Scott to forget her completely once he was gone, and moved on. He'd love again, make something of himself, all the while believing that she had simply abandoned him, out of the blue decided she no longer loved him. 

Shelby rummaged through her things, until she came across a small, rectangular box. On the outside, it appeared as though it were any old box, but that was very much not the case.

She opened the box delicately. Inside, was a myriad of photos. She lifted them out of the box, slowly sorting through them, until she came upon a certain one.

Holding it in her hands, she found herself unmoving, merely staring at the old photograph, her tears stopped.

Memories that had been pushed to the back of her mind, suddenly flooded forward. The picture meant more to than any of her other belongings, but if she would never see Scott again, she wanted him to have it. 

Shelby flipped the photograph onto the reverse side. On the white, flat surface, hand-written in impermeable blue ink was her name, and the year in which the photo had been taken. She took out a pen, and added to the writing on the reverse side of the old photograph. 

Once she was satisfied, she placed the picture aside, and replaced her others back into the nondescript box.

Shelby wiped the last tears from her eyes, and reached for the photograph. She gazed at it, mesmerized.  
  


* * *

Auggie was seated in the boy's dorm, finishing up some homework. 

A knock at the door interrupted his concentration, and focussed it towards the entrance. To his amazement, Shelby, alone, entered the dorm, closing the door behind her. 

"Hey Shelby," Auggie greeted her.

"Hey Aug.. Has Scott already left?" Shelby asked, and Auggie noticed that she carried something in hand.

"Almost," he replied. "He's got his bags all packed to go over there."

"Okay, thanks."

Auggie watched as Shelby slid something into the side pocket of Scott's duffle, and silently left. 

Auggie merely sat in his place momentarily, unmoving, debating in his head what to do. 

Curiosity finally got the best of him, and he walked over to Scott's duffle. He kneeled as unzipped the side pocket like he'd seen Shelby do.

He gently pulled out a dated photograph, and upon registering what exactly it was, sat there, stunned. 

It was a photograph of Shelby at a young age, 6 or 7, with a huge, innocent grin on her face, dressed like a little ballerina. Innocence was beautiful.

  
  
  
  


* * *

later..   
  


Scott scrutinized his surroundings, breathing it all in. One final glance, one last time. This would be his last day here, a concept that seemed to him, as being preposterous considering he was leaving the one girl he loved, behind. If only she loved him too, he thought idly. After today, he'd begin life anew, in the real world- a daunting prospect, but not nearly as daunting as living in a world where your one true love didn't love you in return. That was just unfeasible, far too much to ask of Scott. 

Every time she said those words, they cut deeply into him. There would be nothing left of him, if he stayed and things continued on as they were. There wouldn't be much left of him without her, either, but he knew he couldn't stay, not with her like this. 

Classes were over for the day, night was beginning to fall. And he was beginning to leave. He would have left the next morning at first light, but his dad had insisted upon getting home as soon as possible. So, out of the blue, without warning, he had to depart. He wasn't sure what his dad was doing here exactly, but he wasn't about to complain. His dad was his ticket out of Horizon, and he was willing to take it.

He couldn't help but feel a pang of dread. Leaving Shelby, forever.. What a horrible prospect. He'd miss the old Shelby for certain.. The one who loved him and genuinely cared about him, the one he'd hold tightly in his arms, never wanting to let go. He wasn't sure how much he'd miss the present Shelby- she unwilling to have a civilized conversation with him, void, although still beautiful.

She'd always be beautiful, he thought.   
  


"So this is goodbye, huh?"

Scott turned his attention towards the speaker. It was dark outside, dimly lit with the rays of the moon. He set his duffle onto the ground.

"Yeah, I guess it is," he replied.

"I can't believe you're going," Kat continued. "But I'm happy for you."

"Yeah."

"Bye Scott," Kat said, and hugged him. 

"Yeah," Scott responded distantly. " Tell Juliette goodbye for me."

"Alright, I will."

Scott said the rest of his goodbyes, hugging all of his former classmates and friends, but a deadpan expression seemed plastered on his face. 

It was all heartfelt, but Scott could feel nothing but emptiness. A part of him was missing, that could only be filled by the one girl he loved. He was empty, nothing without her, and he'd likely never see her again. There's nothing you can do, he tried to convince himself. 

His eyes darted around, and suddenly it struck him, like a physical hard blow. "Where's Shelby?" 

Daisy furrowed her brows. "You expected her to come?"

He could hear his heart beating, the heaviness of Daisy's words coming down on him like a ton of bricks, the truth in her words unbearable. Shelby might not love him, but he loved her more than the world.

Scott suddenly broke into a run, heading in the opposite direction, somewhere on campus in the darkened night.

The Cliffhangers exchanged startled glances, before darting after him. 

Martin Barringer and Peter, who stood nearby, watched the commotion occur before them. Martin gave Peter a suspicious look, and took off after his son. Peter, reluctantly followed.  
  
  
  


Scott ran at breakneck speed, aware of the stampede of people running after him. He could reason why they'd do so, they probably believed that he was fooling himself that he hadn't yet given up on Shelby.

He slowed as he reached the girl's dorm, where he knew Shelby would be. Scott knocked at the door, and gently opened it. He entered cautiously, spotting Shelby lying on her bunk, tears in her eyes. He watched as she registered his presence, angrily wiping away her tears, refusing to face him. 

His heart went out to her. He wasn't sure why she was crying, wasn't sure at all. There was something she wasn't telling him, he knew, and in that moment he regretted his decision completely. He'd given up, taken the easy way out. But there was nothing he could do about that now. 

Scott neared her closer. "Um.. Shel, listen," he began, and waited until she slowly turned to face him. "I'm leaving, but I know what I promised."

Shelby closed her eyes. "Scott- " 

"Just let me talk," Scot interrupted, not wanting to hear her say how much she didn't love him. He met her heavy gaze, and continued softly, "I know I promised that I'd never leave you ever, and that we'd have a future after this."

A voice suddenly made him aware that they were not alone. "Geez, guys, give them some privacy."

Scott turned around, to see the door ajar, curious heads poking out, wondering what would take place. Irritated, Scott rolled his eyes, marvelling at their insensitivity and shut the door. He'd seen his father among the onlookers, a disapproving look on his face. 

But that didn't matter now, to Scott. All that mattered was Shelby.

Scott turned back towards her. 

"But you've made it pretty clear that you don't want that. So, I'm going to live my future without you."

Shelby's response was wordless, a mere glance. But not just any glance, was that despair in her eyes? 

"I'm never going to forget you, Shel, who you were, I guess," Scott continued. "Even if you don't love me, I still-"

Shelby looked away. "Scott.." she began.

"I still love you. Whether you acknowledge it or not, I do. So if ever you decide that-"

Scott paused momentarily, seeing that Shelby was barely even registering his words, not meeting his gaze, seemingly trying to avoid it all. But he wasn't going to let her. He drew nearer to her cautiously, and lifted her chin to meet his gaze. 

"..That you do feel the way you did yesterday, give me a call," he said softly, his eyes boring into her. 

She still didn't reply, her only response was a single tear, that fell onto her cheek. 

Scott gently wiped it away, albeit confused about her reaction. He'd thought that she'd be overjoyed that he'd decided to leave, but apparently, she wasn't. This confounded him, and he debated staying, not following through with the football for her sake. He loved her infinitely, and she was in pain.. "That's all," he concluded. 

Shelby resisted his touch, and took a few steps backwards, increasing their physical distance. "Goodbye Scott," she said stolidly.

"Goodbye Shelby Merrick. I love you."

With that statement, Scott stood, unmoving, looking at her, not wanting to ever look away. 

His father's voice brought him back to reality. 

"Scott, hurry it up. We don't have all night."

With a final, wistful glance towards Shelby, Scott reluctantly made his way towards the dorm's exit. With the door still ajar, everyone awaited him. Shelby was looking away.

He made his way outside.

"Bye everyone," Scott announced.

They said their final farewells, but Scott's gaze and attention were still fixated on Shelby, sitting pitifully on her bunk, her back to him. He didn't hear a word of their goodbyes.

Scott proved to be unmoving, and he could faintly discern his dad nagging him to get going. 

"C'mon Scott, we need to go."

Scott paid him no mind. "I love you Shel," he said instead, confident, and yet melancholy. He'd never see her again, he wasn't sure how she felt about him other than 'I don't love you', but her tears as he'd said goodbye seemed to contradict that, or at very least, made him question it.

Scott etched the picture of her in his mind, to cherish what they had infinitely, and reluctantly left with his dad.   
  
  
  


* * *

  
  


"I love you too.." Shelby muttered distantly after Scott and his dad had gone.

"Shelby what the HELL is wrong with you?!"

Shelby miserably turned her gaze to the speaker, to none of her surprise, it was Kat. 

"What's wrong with me? Life is wrong with me, circumstances are wrong with me," Shelby replied cynically.

"She feels she has no choice," Daisy stated. 

"Don't speak for me, Dais," Shelby snapped.

Kat sat down next to Shelby, her eyes saddened and confused. "You just pushed him as far away as he can go! Shelby, why?"

Shelby met Kat's gaze, her own hardened and afraid. "Because I had to," she replied simply, rising from her bunk. "I love him so much.. So much.. and that's why.." Kat still wore a thoroughly confused expression, and in her mind, questioned Shelby's sanity. Shelby's voice hardened as she continued, "Now leave me alone." Tears flooded from her eyes, Shelby unable to stop them. She was bordering on hysterical.

Kat saw the display, and though confounded, she tried to put her arms around Shelby as consolation. But Shelby wouldn't have it, and tore herself away from Kat's embrace. 

Just as suddenly, Shelby's tears stopped, as though she was physically drained, and had no tears left to cry.

Shelby collapsed onto her bunk miserably. 

She didn't sleep at all that night- too filled with memories of Scott, the only thing she had left of him. The only thing she had left in the world.


	34. Fragmented

Author's Note: Hey y'all.. Sorry this chapter is kind of late, but it's pretty long. I had originally plotted out this elaborate, crazy storyline for Juliette that happens as she's visiting home, but I decided it would take too long to get anywhere, and I don't really want to slow down the story. So I'll just interject bits and pieces of it (you'll see, *wink* ) Thanks for reviewing everyone who reviewed, it means a lot to me that people I probably don't even know are actually reading my stuff, it's amazing. Thanks again.. :)  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


Scott gazed outside the car window, watching the darkened world pass by him. It was a cloudless night, so pitch-black that nothing in the distance was discernable. He and his dad were in the car, travelling a worn road in the midst of the wilderness. With every second, he was drawing further and further away from everything he'd known for the past year.. Drawing further and further away from Shelby. 

"I'm glad you're coming home, son."

Scott turned to his dad, offering a tight-lipped smile. "Me too, Dad," he heard himself reply, wondering just how sincere his words were. In truth, he wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to go back home. He didn't want to stay at Horizon- he simply couldn't, not with Shelby's sudden change of heart. But he didn't want to leave either, without Shelby, even if she didn't love him. 

An awkward silence ensued, Scott consumed by his thoughts, Scott's dad focussing his attention on the road as he drove. 

It was his dad who broke the silence. "So isn't it great they want you back on the team?"

"Yeah," Scott said distantly. 

But that was the end of their conversation. Though they were seated mere inches apart, there seemed to be a heavy, palpable barrier wedged between them.

Scott felt sick to his stomach.. He'd never see Shelby, his one true love, again. She was gone. It was over, time to move on. He wondered miserably if he could move on, could love again, knowing what he'd left behind. 

She doesn't love you, he tried to convince himself, but no matter how many times he repeated this over in his mind, it never instilled. He kept remembering saying goodbye to her, the tears in her eyes.. Did she truly not love him? He realized he'd never know..

Another awkward silence ensued between Scott and his dad, this time due to them nothing to say to one another. Or perhaps too much to say..  
  


"So.." Martin began, sensing the uncomfortable silence. 

"Yeah."

"So are you excited to get home?"

Scott's response was devoid of enthusiasm, devoid of emotion. "Yeah, I guess."

"So.." Martin began again, thinking that the car trip, while just a few minutes into it, had proved to be harder and more uncomfortable than he had initially thought it would be. "You're pretty close with that girl Shelby, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"Want to tell me about it?" Martin asked, momentarily turning to his son. 

Scott wore an unreadable expression. "Not really."

"Why is that?" 

"I just.. don't want to talk about it," Scott said finally. 

"She seems like a nice girl," Martin remarked.

"She is," Scott said, and after realizing what he'd just said, corrected himself. "Was."

"I'm glad."

Scott leaned back into his seat. "She's the strongest girl I've ever met," he reflected. 

"That's nice." It was obvious that Martin's attention was more directed to his driving than to his son. 

"I don't understand women," Scott continued. "One minute they're one way, the next.. they're another way." 

"Women are the world's greatest mystery, Scott," his dad replied.

Scott didn't bother to reply, sensing that his dad, like all times before, could be of no aid to him. He watched as they sped past the star-adorned sky, and closed his eyes..   
  
  
  


* * *

morning the next day..   
  
  
  


"Where's Shelby?" Jeff asked, noting Shelby's absence as he glanced around the classroom.

Kat shrugged. "Probably still moping," she replied.

"Moping?" Jeff asked skeptically. 

"Yeah.. It's pretty bad," Kat related. "This morning, it was amazing she even got out of bed."

"What do you mean she's moping?" Ezra asked curiously. 

"You know.. Scott."

"I thought she wanted him to leave."

Daisy watched the conversation uncomfortably, and cut into it. "She didn't," she replied curtly. 

"I'm confused, man," Auggie put in.

Daisy held a stolid look. "It's a confusing circumstance," she said vaguely, not offering to elaborate.

"Can someone get Shelby?" Jeff requested. "I'm not going to let her just skip class."

"I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to be here," Daisy maintained.

"Or anywhere," Kat added.

"Anywhere, but where Scott is," Daisy said. 

Kat nodded. "Yeah." 

"Is anyone going to get Shelby?" Jeff asked, this time with a firmer tone and less patience. "It's like I said, I'm not.."

"I'll try," Kat offered.

Daisy rose from her seat. "No, I think I'd better do it."   
  
  
  


* * *

Daisy ventured into the girl's dorm cautiously. "Shelby," she said. 

Shelby was lying on her bunk idly, looking up at the ceiling miserably. "Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"Aren't *you* supposed to be in class?" Daisy returned, seating herself on the edge of Shelby's bunk.

"As if I care," Shelby replied cynically, her voice hard and unwavering. "I have no reason to care about anything." 

"Just because he's gone?" Daisy asked.

Shelby shook her head. "You can't understand."

Daisy shrugged. "I think I could."

"You've never brainwashed your boyfriend into thinking you didn't love him. You've never had to live a lie for your boyfriend's benefit. You've never watched the only person you've ever really cared about walk away, with him thinking you didn't care about him," Shelby ranted. She paused, and chuckled sardonically. "So don't tell me that you can understand. You can't."

Daisy turned to Shelby, and was suddenly struck by how miserable she looked. Bags were present under her eyes, her hair was untended and tangled. "So is that a reason give up on life?"

Shelby laughed cynically, as if amused that Daisy had to ask. "You're damn right it is." 

"Life goes on," Daisy stated.

"Why?" Shelby demanded, as if expecting Daisy to answer. "Why doesn't it just spare me the pain?"

"You don't mean that." 

"I do," Shelby replied easily. "Believe me, I do. There is no life without Scott."

Daisy was struck by how pitifully the statement was said. She'd never seen Shelby like this. "Shelby!" she exclaimed. "You have to move on." 

Shelby shook her head. "No, I don't. I can mope for as long as I damn well please." 

"Life goes on, whether you want it to or not," Daisy said firmly. 

"I don't want it to."

Daisy didn't respond. 

Shelby exhaled slowly, as if reflecting. "Scott was the best thing that ever happened to me," she said. "Our relationship was going so well.. We were planning a frigging future out of this dump. But then.. But then Scott's dad showed up and screwed it all up. So don't frigging tell me that life goes on. It seems.. That the more life goes on, the worse it gets. It's always been like that."

Daisy closed her eyes momentarily, and rose, and raising her hands in defeat. "I tried," she said. She made her way to the dorm's exit. "What can I say, I tried," she muttered to herself. "I should have just listened to the cards.."  
  
  
  


* * *

Adrian sat idly on the grassy field floor, pencil and sketchbook in hand. It was a typical day for him- skipping class in favour of drawing, free of responsibility, but not free of thought. To be free of thought- he'd give anything. 

"What are you doing out here?"

Adrian directed his attention to the speaker. It proved to be Shelby, sitting next to him, her knees drawn close to her body. 

"Not going to class?" he offered.

Shelby chuckled cynically. "Yeah, me too," she said, devoid of emotion, as if it had all been drained from her. "Life sucks, did you know that? Even when you have something good, it's always taken away." 

"Man, I know," he related. "You remember Erika, who left not too long ago?"

"How could I forget her?" Shelby mused. "What about her?"

"I cared about her," he said simply. 

Shelby wrinkled her nose. "Why?"

"I don't know, but I did." 

Shelby gazed off into the distance. "The one person I loved and cared about, went away yesterday." 

"Scott?" Adrian questioned. 

"Yeah, Scott. My life is never going to be the same," she said distantly. "What's that drawing of?"

Adrian shrugged. "Just the scenery- art is all I do. Art is my life."

"My life ended when Scott left," Shelby said. Her voice was flat, and yes, sounded devoid of life. It was like what she said was true, at least in spirit. Her spirit had visibly gone with Scott. "Scott was my life," she continued. 

Adrian turned to her. "So what are you going to do?"

Shelby stared blankly at him. "What do you mean what am I going to do? It's not like I can do *anything*."

"There has to be something," Adrian continued hopefully. "For me, it's waiting. Erika might come back from juvie.. And if she ever does, I'll still be here."

"Scott's not coming back," Shelby said outright. 

"How do you know?"

"Because I made sure of it. I had to."

Adrian merely shrugged, not certain of what to make of the revelation. 

Shelby glanced around, scanning what she could of the campus. "Do the counsellors ever come looking for you, since you don't go to class?"

"Yeah," Adrian replied. "But I get away with it since I'm still considered a newbie here."

"They're going to come looking for me," Shelby stated, unmoving. 

"Well, are you going to do something?"

"I'd do something if there was anything I could do," Shelby said, a deadpan expression on her countenance. "Right now, all I can do is be depressed."

"Well," Adrian began, "that's something."

"Yeah, sure," Shelby replied cynically. "I can't wait until Queenie comes back."

"I thought you hated her," Adrian mused.

"I need something to take out my anger on," Shelby explained. 

"Ah. So when is she coming back?"

"How should I know- she was supposed to be back yesterday."   
  


* * *

  
  


The basketball slammed into the hoop, and as gravity pulled it downward, it was intercepted by a swift grasp. The interceptor spun the basketball in his hands, and dribbled it on the ground idly. Subsequently, the game resumed.

It was a picturesque neighbourhood- big, expensive houses with grassy front lawns and top-of-the-line cars parked in the driveways. Perfect, temperate weather that reminded one of summer. People walked their pets on the sidewalks by a leash. You couldn't turn a street corner without finding yourself in the middle of a hockey game. On the surface, the area exuded the aura of being extremely high-class and yet, nice, friendly. But admittedly, that was merely what the surface belied.. 

A number of teenaged boys were engaged in a casual basketball game, it taking place in an empty driveway of one of their houses, they utilizing a portable basketball hoop.

A car pulled up in the driveway next-door. They didn't pay any mind, until a familiar, tall figure emerged from the car.

One of the teenagers, Matt, clad in baggy jeans and long black shirt, seized the basketball to halt the game. He motioned towards the house next door, watching as a tall, blond teenager stepped out of the car. 

"Yo, is that Scott?" he asked the others.

"Barringer?" Dave, asked. His eyes widened as he registered recognition. "Yeah man, I think so."

Matt was convinced, albeit surprised. "Yo, Scott!" he called, dribbling the basketball as he walked over to the neighbour's driveway. The others followed. "Where ya been, man?"

Scott turned to see familiar people walking towards him, people who were from his past, and now in his present. "Man, you guys wouldn't believe it," he responded. 

Matt tossed Scott the basketball. "Hey, you up for some game?"

"Later," he replied, tossing it back to Matt. "I gotta go unpack."

Matt watched as Scott retrieved his luggage from the trunk of the car. "Alright. See ya man."

"Good to see you back, man," Dave added. 

They watched as Scott carried his luggage to his front door, and as his dad reached in his pocket for a set of keys. 

"Man, I haven't seen Scott Barringer in over a year," Matt related to his friends. "He just disappeared one day, but now he's back."

"Dude, he looks clean." 

"Yeah, I noticed. Weird," Matt commented, still dribbling the basketball.  
  


* * *

"Isn't Juliette supposed to be back by now?" Kat asked. The Cliffhangers were seated at a table in the lunchroom, trying to force down the food they'd been served. 

"Yeah, really. I wonder where she is?" Ezra added.

"She was supposed to be back yesterday, man," Auggie said. "I'm real worried."

"It's probably nothing," Kat said in her usual optimistic tone. "Probably car trouble."

"We have no way of knowing, man," Auggie replied. "That makes me uneasy. I'm missin' my girl Jules."

"Really?" said Amber. "I'm not."

"Yo! Don't diss my girl, newbie."

"It's weird without her," Adrian commented. 

"Tell me about it," Shelby said. "I keep entering the bathroom waiting for the barfing to begin."

Auggie's reply was devoid of patience. "Don't diss my girl, man!"

Shelby kept a deadpan expression. "Fine," she said, rising from her seat. "Whatever. It's not like I'm hungry anyways."

Shelby subsequently left, fled from the scene without looking back.

Auggie furrowed his brows. "What was that about?"

Daisy gave him a look. "What do you think?"

"PMS?" Ezra asked.

Auggie rolled his eyes. "Scott," he said in realization.

"You think?" came Daisy's sarcastic reply.

"What's the deal with that anyway?" Auggie asked casually.

"It's not my place to tell you," Daisy said simply.

"So what?" Auggie said. "But you tryin' to tell me that she wanted him to stay?"

"Yes."

"No way, man."

Daisy shrugged. "Believe what you want."

"I will, man," Auggie insisted.

"It's so different without Scott," Amber noted idly. "It's like something's really missing."

"Our whole group is out of whack," Auggie added. "Jules is gone, Scott's gone, Shel's messed.."

Daisy rolled her eyes as she interjected. "Shelby is not 'messed'."

"Then why'd she tell Scott to go, and then mope about it? Eh?" Auggie questioned.

"It's not my place to say," Daisy repeated.

"Right, man."

* * *

  
  


Juliette Waybourne watched the world pass her by. Alone, lost, afraid- with a wad of cash in her coat pockets.

She didn't know where she was heading- only that she had to get away. She tried to suppress the memories from resurfacing, awful memories.. But they replayed in her head relentlessly.. mercilessly.. She couldn't evade them..   
  


'You're delusional, Juliette..'

'I thought that you had to be better in order to come home. You're back to your old ways.'

'You can't win. I win. I always win.'

'It's not as it seems.. With him, it's not ever as it seems.'  
  


Her trip home had been a complete disaster, a total mistake. She hadn't talked to her old friends since she'd met up with Leigh, but things had still managed to go downhill from there. Downhill at a breakneck pace..

For something that had intended to be a nice, uneventful trip home, it had turned out to be much more. Disquieting revelations, albeit useless ones were upturned.. Motives unearthed.. Her world turned upside down..  
  


And there was nothing she could do but.. run. Pretend it didn't exist. Get away..  
  


* * *

Scott ventured inside a place he had once known. His old house, still exactly the way he remembered it, unaltered by the passage of time. 

It seemed empty. An enormous house, but with not enough to fill it. It was plenty full of furniture.. But devoid of life. 

The scent of his stepmother was noticeably gone, dissipated. But her mark was left on every piece of furniture.. Tarnished them irreparably. She still lived here, in spirit. 

Scott picked up his duffle, and lugged it up a flight of stairs. As he reached the top of the stairs, nearby was a door, the entrance to a place of assorted memories.. Mostly horrid memories that sometimes tainted his sleep, haunted him infinitely..

He opened the door slowly, taking in all the memories that flooded forward. He looked around, his room seemingly frozen in time. An arrangement of trophies and medals.. An unmade bed..

It'd definitely take some time to get used to.

Scott set down his duffle, and opened it. He filled empty drawers with the clothes his duffle contained, his mind wandering, reality setting in. Now everything would change.. He'd return to his old highschool, Horizon far behind him.. Shelby far behind him.. Venturing into what he once knew, but was now the unknown.

Scott zipped open the side pocket of his duffle, and pulled out.. what looked like a photograph..

He mulled it over in his head as he removed it from his duffle- he hadn't remembered packing a photograph in the side pocket.. 

He glanced at it curiously, and froze.. His body a block of ice, unmoving, his heart racing..  
  


Shelby. 

As evidenced in the photograph, even as a child, she was beautiful.. As a child, innocently beautiful. The purest kind of beauty- innocence.

He sat transfixed, unable to move, unable to breathe..

He turned the photo to the reverse side, and sure enough, there was writing- Shelby's writing. Her handwriting was very distinctive, and what was written on the reverse side of the photo was surely hers.. 

It read: 'Please don't forget me. Love, Shelby.' 

He merely sat, not knowing what to make of it. What was it?

A goodbye present? 

He was now more confused than ever before. The photograph seemed to indicate that she did care about him somewhat, if she didn't want him to forget her (as if it was possible for him to forget her. Scott knew instinctively that Shelby would stay with him an eternity, if only in spirit.) So if she cared about him- why did she push him away?

He shook his head, unknowing. How was he to know? 

Drawing no conclusion, Scott leaned back onto a piece of furniture, so thoroughly confounded..

He was left staring at the photograph, unmoving, not wanting to ever tear his eyes away. It was beautiful, almost devastatingly beautiful as he thought of what this girl would wind up going through, her innocence corrupted..

His thoughts were interrupted by his dad's voice.

"Scott, you have a visitor," he called.

Scott gently tucked away the precious photograph into a small drawer, as he heard footsteps climbing up the stairs, drawing nearer..

The door to his room swung open to reveal a familiar figure, another fragment of his shattered, distant past. "Scott! I almost didn't dare believe it when I heard you were back."

"Tara," Scott acknowledged. "Hey. Word sure spreads fast around here."

"Yeah- you can imagine how it would," she responded, tucking a strand of her short, loose brown hair behind her ear. "None of us have seen from you, or heard from you, in what- a year and a half? More?" 

"Year and eight months," Scott corrected her. 

Tara rolled her eyes. "So.. where have you been the past year and eight months?"

Scott looked at her flatly. "You really want to know?"

"Yeah, Scott," she replied insistently. "We were pretty close.. once, don't you remember? I *do* care about you, you know."

"Well, see.." Scott began. "My dad shipped me off to this.. school in the middle of nowhere."

Tara furrowed her brows. "Why?"

"Why do you think?"

Tara merely stared at Scott. "Um.. if this has something to do with that phase or whatever that you went through before you left.."

"Yeah." 

"But a school, Scott?" she asked. "I don't understand."

"Don't worry about it," he dismissed.

"So, are you finishing high school here?" she questioned.

"Yeah," Scott said. "The reason I'm even here is because coach wants me back on the football team."

Tara's eyes widened excitedly. "You must be replacing our injured quarterback! I was wondering how they were going to solve that- our team is in the championships, and then suddenly our star player is injured! I'm glad you're replacing him- I know you can do it."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Scott, are you feeling alright?"

Scott shook his head. "Not really," he said stolidly.

"Can I do anything?"

"No."

Tara offered a tight-lipped smile. "I'm really glad to see you again, Scott," she said sincerely. When he didn't respond, she continued. "What is it?"

"I don't know," he said. "It's just weird."

"What's weird?"

Scott merely shrugged.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"Yeah."

"Fine," she said. "It was really great seeing you again, Scott. I'll come by again later." And then she left, gone, shutting the door behind her. 

"I don't remember asking you to come by again.." Scott muttered to himself.

Scott could hear her footsteps as she travelled down the stairs.. And then it was quiet. Not a sound, not a single one, only his breathing. His thoughts drifted, inevitably towards a certain girl named Shelby Merrick, whose picture he possessed, and whose love he wasn't sure he possessed. Although certainly- she had his heart, every fragment of it as it lay in pieces..  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	35. Cold Comfort

Author's Note: Okay, new chapter, and it's a long one. I won't be here to supply chapters for the following three weeks (I'll be vacationing), so I wanted to be sure to get this chapter up before I left. I'm beginning to wonder if this fricking story will ever end. It has taken on a life of its own. I'm amazed at the form that it's moulded itself to, I never would have guessed that this would have happened with the newbie fic I began with. In any case, thanks for reviewing everyone who reviews, and without further ado, here's the chapter:

  
  


* * *

"You're not going to believe this, Soph." 

Sophie met Peter's gaze. "Believe what?"

"Juliette," Peter sighed, with more than a hint of exasperation. "She's run away from home."

Sophie emitted an audible gasp. "Is she alright?"

Peter shrugged, unknowing. "Her mom said that she had an argument with Juliette, and not long after, Juliette fled." 

"An argument about what?"Sophie asked pointedly.

"She didn't say."

Sophie sighed, assessing it all.

"The cops will let us know when they find her, and bring her here," Peter continued.

"Poor Juliette," was Sophie's empathetic reply.

"Evidently, the trip home wasn't such a good idea," Peter said.

"Evidently." 

Peter shook his head, and let a handful of paperwork fall onto his desk. "I can't believe this has happened." 

"What else did Juliette's mom say over the phone?"

"Not much," Peter answered. "We'll know more when Juliette is brought here. Hopefully, this hasn't caused further damage." 

"Yeah," Sophie concluded quietly.

  
  


* * *

"Anyone have something they want to address before we begin?" 

Auggie looked around the circle. All of the Cliffhangers were present, gathered for the latest group session- well, all of the remaining ones. All except one certain girl, of whom he cared very much about..

"Yeah, man," he said. "Where's Jules?"

Peter kept a very neutral tone as he replied. "She'll be back soon," he said, trying not to betray any emotion.

"You didn't answer my question, man." 

"Her case, just like all of yours, is confidential," Peter explained. "In any case, no one really knows for sure."

Auggie stood. "What do mean no one knows where she is?!" he demanded.

Peter sighed, exasperated. "Auggie, give it rest. She'll be back soon." 

Auggie slowly sat back down.

"Alright. So.. a lot has happened in the past week," Peter continued. "For one thing, Scott left. How do you each feel about this? Starting with Kat."

"I miss him," she said genuinely, "and I miss the old Shelby."

"Alright, next."

Shelby glared, and intercepted the flow before the next person could respond. "You know, I miss the old Shelby too."

Peter blinked. "Would you like to elaborate, Shelby?"

It was with all of her willpower that she contained that she was able to restrain herself. "I think you'd know, Peter. After all, you're partly responsible."

Peter was caught off-guard, and offered no immediate response. Shelby glowered, and subsequently left the scene, unable to restrain herself longer. 

Kat looked towards her headmaster. "Peter?" she asked. "Do you know what she's talking about?"

"Yeah," he said dimly. "Group, you're dismissed for now. I have something to attend to."

  
  
  
  


* * *

Peter drummed his fingers against the hard wood of his desk, lost in thought. He sat back in his chair, mulling it over, turning it over in his thoughts. 

Could he have been wrong? Could it all have been a mistake?

The conflict raged on, he so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't even notice when Sophie opened the door to his office, and ambled inside. Only did he notice her presence when his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her shutting the door. 

At the mere sight of her, his drumming fingers lost their rhythm, the tension in his muscles eased somewhat knowing that now that she was there, she could help put things in perspective.

Sophie's eyes grazed over him: she could easily discern the tension in his muscles, the conflict that clearly lined his face. She pulled up a chair next to him. 

"Been thinking?" she asked. 

"I'm starting to question my decision," he related. 

"And why is that?"

"Shelby," Peter replied. "She's not taking Scott's absence well."

Sophie smiled weakly. "Well of course she isn't," she replied knowingly. "Young love," she continued, reminiscing.

Peter held Sophie's gaze. "How do you think I handled it?"

"I think that you did what you felt you had to do," Sophie replied easily. "In any case, we couldn't have Scott and Shelby continuing on like they were."

Peter glanced away. "I'm starting to question my decision. When Scott and Shelby were together, they seemed to improve together. But now that Scott's gone, Shelby has become downright unruly."

Sophie cocked an eyebrow. "Can you blame her? She'll get over it eventually. Don't worry about it." 

"I should talk with her."

"I think it'd be better if I did it- you know, girl to girl."

Peter shrugged. "Alright," he consented. "Thanks Soph."

"No problem." 

  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


Shelby laid on her bunk, miserable. Scott was gone, forever. She'd have to spend the entire duration of the rest of her life without him. Shelby thought about their last moments, before the entire chaos of the football and Scott's dad had come about. She and Scott had actually discussed a future together, and who knows where that could have led. Marriage? Kids? Shelby felt so strongly for Scott, that it didn't seem farfetched to her to contemplate marriage. Bleakly, she pondered what could have been.

Shelby abandoned the thought. Scott was gone, forever, and he wasn't coming back. She'd never see him again- let alone marry him.

  
  


Shelby felt her bunk shift with someone's weight next to her.

"Hey. Are you doing alright?"

Shelby turned to the speaker. It was none other than Sophie Becker. "What do you think?"

"I take it, that no, you're not doing alright," Sophie replied.

"You think so?" Shelby said sarcastically.

"Do you want to tell me?"

Shelby rolled her eyes, irritated that she couldn't be left alone. "If I had wanted to tell you, I would have done so already."

"C'mon Shelby," Sophie said. "It's obvious that something is bothering you."

"And you really don't know what it is, huh?" came Shelby's reply. "Well here's a hint, I'm about ready to kill Peter."

"For his part in Scott leaving?" Sophie questioned.

Shelby glared at Sophie, as if to say, 'Duh'.

"It was for the best."

"And *how* do you figure that?!" Shelby demanded, now angry. "What about me? Do you think it was best for me?!"

"Was it?"

Shelby glowered. "It was about the worst possible thing that could have happened to me."

"Shelby," Sophie began.

"Don't pretend like you know," Shelby continued, glaring. "You have no idea."

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

Shelby met Sophie's gaze fiercely. "I am never going to forgive Peter- not ever. He may have saved my life- but he killed me too. Don't pretend like I owe either or you anything- because I don't, not anymore. These talks are useless- they're not going to undo the damage, that PETER convinced me into doing. 'It's for the best'- don't give me that. And don't come to me asking what the hell's wrong when you already know. You know, where the hell is Peter? I have a few things I need to get off my chest.."

  
  
  
  


* * *

The rest of the Cliffhangers were confined in the art room.

"I suck at art," Amber noted, scanning her artwork in distaste.

Auggie added a stroke of his paintbrush to his own artwork. "I bet you don't," he said.

Amber chuckled idly. "See for yourself," she said, displaying her creation.

Auggie threw a glance in the direction. "Ok, I take it back."

"Well THAT was reassuring."

"Yeah, really," Ezra put in.

"Hey anyone know what Shelby was talking about in group today?" questioned Kat. 

"According to the cards," said Daisy, "Peter committed an act, and is now conflicted about it. We can now presume that it implicates Shelby, maybe even Scott."

"Ooh gossip," Amber noted. "Speaking of which, c'mon Adrian, I need to talk with you." She gestured toward Adrian, when he didn't move.

"Uh, alright," he said, setting down his paintbrush, and followed her outside the room.

----

Amber grasped the front of his shirt. "So what do you say we skip art and 'talk' in the janitor's shed?"

Adrian removed her hand from his shirt impatiently. "Amber- no."

"Why not?" she demanded. "Don't try to tell me that you didn't enjoy our last 'talk', because I know you did."

"A part of me did, a part of me is still missing Erika."

Amber glared at him. "Forget Erika. She's not coming back. I'm here, now."

"No," he said sternly.

Amber smirked mischievously, and took his hand. "I'll take that as a yes.."

"Amber, no."

"You're trying to resist me. You can't." 

Adrian roughly yanked his hand away. "Watch me. I don't even like you."

Amber's grin grew broader. "You don't have to like me to enjoy my company. Now come on, before we lose any more time."

  
  


* * *

  
  


The door to Peter's office was flung open. Peter glanced towards it, seated at his desk. 

"Shelby," he greeted, setting down the paperwork in his hands. "Can I get you something?"

"Can you get me something?" she asked incredulously. "Oh, lord. How about happiness? How about Scott? Think you can do that for me?"

Peter breathed a quiet sigh. "Shelby, I understand that you're upset about Scott leaving.."

"No, you don't," said Shelby angrily. "You don't understand it at all." 

Peter met Shelby's gaze. "What don't I understand?"

"Just how severe the effects of a decision were," Shelby stated fearlessly. "That's what you don't understand."

Peter gestured to an vacant chair near his desk, motioning for her to sit down. She didn't. Seeing that it was useless, Peter leaned back in his own chair. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

Shelby's face was a mask of controlled rage. "I don't owe you anything. I will *never* forgive you for allowing it to happen." 

"I'm sorry about that," he replied evenly. "But you realize, that all along, it was your decision, your actions that brought it into play."

"You convinced me into thinking that it was the right thing to do- that if I kept him here, I was being selfish, and holding him back! The worst part of it is- I still can't figure out whether or not I did the right thing! I definitely didn't do the right thing for myself. Let me ask you something- did you ever think about MY repercussions?"

Peter waited for her to continue.

"Well?" she continued. "You probably just wanted to get rid of Scott so you wouldn't have to deal with us anymore. You always lecture us about not taking the easy way out. Well, you did. Here's a tip- if you expect me to listen to you from here on, practice what you preach."

Shelby didn't wait for a reply- she immediately left his office, slamming the door behind her.

  
  


* * *

Shelby was draped across her bunk in the girl's dorm, clad in pajamas, miserable. 

"I don't know what to do with myself," she said wearily.

Daisy chuckled. "Believe me, we don't know what to do with you either."

"That's reassuring."

"I wasn't meant to be," Daisy muttered to herself.

"What I'm trying to say is, well, there's no reason to stay here anymore, and yet there's nowhere I could go."

"Why don't you call Scott?" Kat suggested. "It'll probably do you good to hear his voice, even if it is just hello."

A weak smile formed on Shelby's features, and dissipated just as quickly. "I can't do that," she stated.

"Why not?"

"I don't know," she said. "But man, I'd kill to hear his voice."

"So why don't you do it?" Kat asked. "You're going to be here for a few months longer, then you can get out of here. Might as well be happy if for just a few minutes."

Shelby sat up. "You think I should?"

"Sure," Kat responded. "Besides, your depressed self isn't exactly the funnest thing to be around."

"I don't know."

"C'mon, Shelby, you deserve happiness." 

"And we deserve peace," Amber added.

"But he's only been gone a day," Shelby said. "It'll seem desperate."

"I'm sure he won't mind."

Shelby stared into space. Her gaze subsequently transferred to Kat. "But what would I say?"

"Tell him to get his ass back over here," Amber put in.

"I don't care- anything," Kat replied, ignoring Amber.

Shelby glanced outside. "It's pretty late. I'll try to phone him tomorrow." 

Kat smiled. "Alright, Shel."

Shelby brought the covers to her chin, an absent smile on her countenance. 

  
  


the next day..

  
  


Shelby stood before the telephone. It had consumed her thoughts the entire duration of the night before, the mere thought intoxicating. 

What would she say? She still hadn't decided, despite that she'd been awake the entire night before, contemplating it.

Shelby slowly enclosed her fingers around the phone, bringing it to her ear. Her fingers dialled the number, and as she listened to it ring, she closed her eyes. 

  
  


----------------

Martin Barringer sat in his livingroom, finishing up some paperwork. As far as he was concerned, all was well in the world. Scott was at home, where he should be, away from that girl. It had all worked out, all according to plan. It had all played out perfectly.

Scott would go on to do what he was born to do- to play football. Scott would rightfully receive the scholarship and find his place in the world. And Scott would have him to thank for it. 

The phone rang, and he answered it.

"Hello?" he said. 

"Hi- is Scott there?"

Martin could faintly recognize the caller's voice. "Who is this?" he asked.

"It's Shelby."

Martin wrinkled his nose. The girl still wasn't finished with his son. Well, he figured, as long as he had something to do with it, she was. "I'm sorry, he's not in right now."

"Well, can you please make sure that he phones me back, at Horizon?"

"Uh, sure," Martin replied, not meaning a word of it. "Bye."

"Bye." 

He hung up the phone.

Martin couldn't help but feel disgust. The girl had aided them in getting Scott's life on the right track, and so what was she doing now, telephoning him? Did she want to undo all that they'd all worked so hard to create? The girl was Scott's one weakness. Scott and Shelby's life together had ended at Horizon, and if Martin had anything to do with it, it would stay that way.

---------------

Shelby breathed an exasperated sigh as she set down the phone. Scott hadn't been there, but at least now, she'd have something to look forward to. 

  
  


* * *

Martin Barringer's thoughts were interrupted by Scott, entering the room. Seeing the thoughtful expression on his dad's visage, he asked, "Hey dad- what's up?" 

"Nothing, Scott," Martin replied quickly. "Well, actually- there is something- coach phoned and said that they have a game Friday, so they have to get you in shape quick!"

"Okay," Scott assessed. "Anything else?"

"No."

"Alright."

* * *

Shelby returned to the girl's dorm, with her fellow inmates barely able to contain themselves, asking about her phone call. 

"He wasn't there," she replied.

"Aww, that sucks," consoled Kat. "I'm sorry Shel." 

"It's okay," Shelby dismissed. "His dad said he'd make sure Scott phoned me back."

"I'm glad," Kat said.

"That's great," Daisy commented.

"Yeah," Shelby smiled. "It'll give me something to look forward to, for sure."

"Yeah," Kat agreed. "C'mon, let's go eat lunch."

  
  


* * *

Ezra, Auggie and Adrian were seated at a table in the lunchroom.

"Where are they?" Ezra asked, his question directed to no one in particular.

"Who knows, man," Auggie replied, unconcerned.

Adrian nodded towards the entrance to the room. "They're coming," he said, watching as the female members of the Cliffhanger clan waited for their food to be served.

"Where were y'all?" Auggie asked them, as they neared their table.

Kat smiled. "Shelby tried to phone Scott."

"What to you mean 'tried'?" asked Ezra.

"He wasn't there," Shelby replied evenly.

"But he's going to call her back," Kat was quick to add.

Auggie grinned. "Heh! Well good for you, man."

"I'm actually not a man," said Shelby, "but thanks."

"So what does it mean?" Auggie questioned. "You've never even told us the whole thing that went on with Scott leaving. So are you gonna tell me or what?"

Shelby raised an eyebrow. "You really want to know?" she asked skeptically.

"Well yeah. I'm real interested, but -"

"It's alright," Shelby dismissed. "Listen up, because I'm only going to say this once. Ok, well me and Scott got into trouble for braking some rules. Then Scott's dad phones Scott, telling him he can still have a spot on the football team, that his old school's team is in the state championships, and they need a new quarterback because their's is injured. Scott refuses, because he promised me he'd never leave me again. So then, Scott's dad drives up, and I guess he and Peter talk, and figure out that the only way Scott would leave would be me. That's all."

"Man. That's real messed," Auggie said. "So you really love Scott, dontcha Shel?"

Shelby merely nodded, a small smile plastered on her countenance.

"Man, are you smilin'?" 

"Yeah, I think she is," Ezra put in.

"Shelby smiling," Auggie mused. "That's something we haven't seen in a while." 

  
  


* * *

Shelby sat on her bunk, bored out her mind, just waiting. 

"When is he going to phone?" she said anxiously.

"All you can do is wait," came Daisy's reply.

"What if he doesn't call?"

"He's going to call."

Kat suddenly burst into the room. "Hey guess what, guys- I overhead Peter talking- Juliette's back."

  
  
  
  


* * *

Peter scrutinized the girl before him- a girl hardly recognizable. Her head was drawn, her eyes directed towards the ground. This was not the girl he'd once known.

"Juliette?" he said.

Her head raised somewhat, her eyes meeting his for a moment. "What?" she asked, before diverting her eyes.

"Can you please look at me?"

"No."

Peter regarded her intently. "Why not?"

"I just.. no."

"Why did you run away?" he asked slowly.

Juliette's head raised, her eyes filling with tears. "No one believed me.."

"No one believed you about what?"

It was a moment before she answered. "My.. my stepfather. He's not as he seems.." Her words were slowly executed, and deliberate.

"Alright," Peter concluded. "We'll leave it at that, for now.'

  
  


* * *

"Well, Juliette's back," Peter announced as he walked into his office. 

Sophie was there to greet him. "How is she?"

Peter took a chair. "She's a mess," he said dimly.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Peter said distantly. "Doesn't look good. I'm going to talk with her more later."

"Yeah, you'd better do that."

"She had this wad of cash in her pockets," Peter began, "that she said she stole from her step-dad. When I asked her why she ran away, she said it was because of him, and mumbled something about her mom."

"Did she explain why?" asked Sophie.

"I never got that far. I'd like to see her cleaned up first."

"Hm."

"By the way, when you talked with Shelby, what did she say?" Peter questioned, leaning back into his chair.

Sophie smiled weakly as she reminisced. "Just that she was never going to forgive you. Why?"

"She talked with me yesterday, looked about ready to explode," Peter explained.

"Well, I'm not surprised," Sophie replied. "She's really angry at you. She misses Scott."

"I know."

  
  
  
  


* * *

The Cliffhanger girls sat on their own bunks, conversing, when the door opening directed all attention elsewhere.

"Well if it isn't Juliette," Daisy greeted. 

Juliette smiled meekly. "Hi guys."

Kat went to hug her. "So where ya been, girl?"

Juliette pulled away from her. "I don't want to talk about it."

Daisy's stare was all-knowing, with her tarot cards laid out on her bunk. "According to the cards, she's experiencing the aftereffects of a traumatic event."

"That's about right," Juliette mumbled.

"Juliette?" said Kat, her tone revealing concern. "Are you alright?"

Juliette shook her head, and Kat embraced her empathetically.

"So did you know that Scott left?"

"Scott left?" Juliette asked, suddenly alert.

"Yeah," Kat replied, "and he told me to tell you goodbye for him."

"Oh. He's really gone this time?"

Kat nodded. "Yeah. Have you seen Auggie? He's been really worried about you, Jules."

"Haven't seen him yet," came Juliette's soft answer.

"Are you going to?"

"Not now."

"Juliette, what's wrong?" Kat prodded.

"I want to go to bed," was all that Juliette offered.

"Alright, we understand."

Shelby was sprawled on her bunk. "Scott isn't going to phone me."

"He probably has an excuse," said Kat.

"Yeah, and it's probably that he just didn't feel like calling me."

"Shelby, you know that's not true," Daisy put in.

"Well," began Shelby, "apparently it is, because he isn't calling me."

Her only response was the silence.

"It's light's out," Kat announced after a few moments. "We should all be getting to bed."

  
  


* * *

Scott stared up at the night sky, trying to get to sleep, but unable to. His thoughts were consumed by a certain girl he loved, but wasn't with, couldn't be with. She puzzled him beyond what he thought possible, with a sudden change of heart, and a contradictory picture that he cherished. 

His love for her consumed him. It would always consume him, and it always had. Just because she wasn't with him didn't tame his love... it only saddled him with sadness that she wasn't there with him.

And somehow, he was expected to live. Somehow, he would have to find a way to live, would have to adapt. Unknowingly, she used to breathe fresh air into him, she kept him alive. But now, she was a thousand miles away, and there was nothing he could do. Even sleep wouldn't allow him its console. He could do nothing, but breathe in his emotions, give into his sadness, and hope for brighter things to come- All the while knowing, that his existence would always be dim without the blinding light of his one true love. 

He couldn't go on, couldn't even breathe, but would somehow have to.

  
  
  
  



	36. Confessions

Author's Note: Hey y'all... Sorry that this chapter took so long! I went to visit some family, and I wasn't able to access this story in all the three weeks that I was gone. But it made me realize how much I really missed writing it! And I had a lot of time to think about it, and I've got it all figured out. Every last detail. This story still isn't close to being over! But yes, the chapter's finally up! And yes.. The misery in this fic is finally coming to an end. Or getting there, in any case. Thanks for reviewing everyone who reviews, love y'all, if it weren't for y'all reviewers, this story would have probably gotten nowhere. Y'all totally motivate me! Thanks, again~! Now, onto the chapter!

  
  


* * *

A few days passed uneventfully..   
  
  
  


Scott Barringer was seated outside on the bottom step of his front porch. He watched absently as the wind maneuvered the trees, the foliage swaying and rattling in its embrace. He simply sat there, with the breeze against his face, ruffling his hair. 

A mere hour ago, he'd played an important football game.

Countless spectators had cheered him on. He'd played brilliantly, leading his team to victory. He had owned that game- scoring countless touchdowns, doing what he did best. He'd proved that he was there for a reason. But somehow, he didn't feel accomplished. He didn't feel anything.

It all meant nothing to him. 

He suddenly noticed Tara, standing several feet away from him, a quiet smile on her lips. He met her gaze, but said nothing. But she didn't appear to be disturbed by his lack of acknowledgement. She slowly drew nearer, taking her steps leisurely, and sat down next to him. "Hey Scott," she said amiably. 

"Hey."

"You played a great game," she said, her gaze never lingering from him. 

"Yeah," he dismissed.

"No- an amazing game. You're so good."

"Un huh," he said distantly.

Tara stared at him intently, wishing that he'd look at her, meet her gaze if just once. He didn't. He was a mystery to her- once a close friend, now just a gorgeous stranger. 

Her brown eyes scrutinized him, finding no trace of emotion. Just vacancy, impassiveness.

Scott merely sat there in silence, staring off into the distance, giving no indication that he knew she was even there. 

"What's up with you, Scott?" she asked him finally. "No one's seen you in over a year and when you come back, you recluse."

For the first time during their encounter, Scott turned to her. "Don't worry about it," he dismissed, before turning his gaze away.

"Scott, I care about you," she maintained.

Scott shook his head. "Why?"

Tara furrowed her brows, surprised that he was, yet again questioning her. "Because I do, alright? Do I need to give you a reason?"

He didn't turn to face her, didn't do anything, couldn't even bother to respond. 

"Scott? What's wrong?" Tara prodded, growing concerned.

Scott met her gaze, and she could faintly detect sadness, hollowness in his eyes. "Nothing that you can fix," he replied sadly.

"Are you sure about that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Yeah," he replied easily.

Tara smiled, thinking about how she'd prove his words wrong. Impulsively, she reached out to touch his face, and kissed him. 

At her lips' touch, Scott turned his head away from her.

"Tara- it's not going to happen," he said, irritated.

"Why not?" she asked. "Seriously, why not?"

When he didn't answer, Tara resorted to guessing.

"You don't like me, is that it?"

"It's not that I don't like you," Scott replied, shaking his head, "it's that.. my heart is with someone else."

Tara raised her eyebrows in interest. "Yeah? Who is she?"

"She's not here."

"I'm here," Tara offered. She reached out to touch his hand. "Sometimes you have to move on."

"I don't have to move on," Scott asserted, pulling his hand away from her touch. "Nor can I."

Seeing that it was useless, Tara rose. "Fine," she said through clenched teeth, irritated with him, irritated with herself for wasting her time on him. "Whatever. I do all this for you and this is how you repay me."

Scott sighed, exasperated. "Just let me be. Alright? Just let me be."

"Fine," she dismissed, taking a few steps away from him. "You want to be alone, I'll let you be alone."

Without another word, Tara turned away from Scott's indifferent eyes. Without looking back, she walked away.

Out of her earshot, Scott offered a reply. "Thanks," he said quietly. 

  
  
  
  


* * *

It was night, dreary and dismal inside the girl's dorm. 

"Maybe you should try phoning Scott again?" Kat suggested.

"Maybe I shouldn't try at all," Shelby said grimly, any remnant of spirit visibly drained from her body. "Maybe I should just give up."

"No, Shel, you can't give up."

"Yeah?" Shelby said sardonically. "Give me a reason why I shouldn't."

"There's probably way more to it than you know," Kat reasoned. "Maybe whoever just forgot to deliver the message. There has to be an explanation, because there's no way Scott would give up on you."

Shelby shook her head doubtfully. "I doubt it. As far as he knows, I don't love him, which is so far from the truth that.. in any case, he probably wants nothing to do with me, ever again."

"That's not true and you know it," Daisy interjected.

"You know what?" Shelby announced. "I'm giving up, forever. He gave me this false hope... and I'm not going to let myself believe anymore. It's not worth the disappointment, it's not worth the pain." 

Daisy sighed quietly as she overturned a tarot card.

  
  


* * *

the next morning..   
  
  
  


Juliette was seated at a picnic table outside, alone, occupied with her homework. She hadn't spoken with Auggie in all the time that she'd been back. He'd tried to initiate conversation with her, but each time, she'd refused to look him in the eye, refuse to answer his burning questions directly. She couldn't. She'd changed, she wasn't who once was, she was no longer the girl by his side. She was different now. Ever since the incident, she'd.. 

"Hey Jules," Auggie said, sitting down beside her. "How's it going?"

  
  


Juliette knew she couldn't utter the usual superficial reply of 'fine', so she didn't bother. She didn't even give any indication that she knew he was beside her. 

"Juliette?" Auggie asked, concerned.

Juliette turned to him, suddenly emotional, teary-eyed. "I'm sorry," she managed. "I can't."

And with that, she fled, leaving a thoroughly confounded Auggie behind her.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Two months strolled by, months dreary and uneventful, dragging by with every new day.. Nothing ever changed, it all just continued on as it had before, continuing on endlessly. Shelby smiled not once in the span of time, Juliette reclused, with Auggie chasing after her to no avail. Adrian waited for Erika to return in vain, and meanwhile was kept occupied with Amber. Scott continued to lead his football team to victory, but was never able to feel pride at his accomplishments, because inside, he could feel nothing but emptiness. Circumstances were driving them all insane, they were merely existing, wandering in circles. But a fateful day arrived, and scattered everything.

* * *

  
  


The Cliffhangers were seated outside on a picnic table, finishing up homework and chatting idly. It was like any other day, Shelby inside the girl's dorm, doing nothing but feeling sorry for herself, everyone in their usual mood. Nothing out of the ordinary. The day was sunny and temperate, perfect weather to be outdoors. 

All was interrupted, all was stopped, when a vaguely familiar figure came loping towards them. A familiar tall, blond, green-eyed girl who exuded a fearless aura..

"S'up fellow rejects?" she said, resting her hands on the picnic table.

"Erika!" Adrian registered immediately.

"The one and fucking only," she retorted.

"You're really back?" Kat asked.

Erika smirked. "You didn't honestly think you could get rid of me for long, did you?"

"Are you staying?"

"Damn right I am."

"Cool."

"So, how was the juvie experience?" Ezra asked curiously.

"Juvie?" she snorted. "A fucking bore. Treat you like shit. Don't let you do shit." 

"But you got out, eh?" Auggie put in.

"You'd better believe it," Erika replied, her gaze transferring to each of the Cliffhangers, before fixating on an unfamiliar face. "Who the fuck are you?" she asked outright.

"Name's Amber," Amber replied curtly, taking an instant dislike to Erika, eying her haughtily. 

"There's been a few changes with our group," Kat explained to Erika. "For one thing, Scott went home."

"And his girl..?" Erika questioned.

"Shelby? Oh, she's in the girl's dorm, probably," Kat answered.

"Doin' what?"

Kat sighed. "Being depressed," she replied.

Erika shook her head in disgust. "That's fucking messed up."

"Man, you don't know the half of it," Auggie put in.

Erika scoffed, as she took a seat among them between Adrian and Juliette. "I don't want to know the half of it."

Adrian turned to her, his eyes fixated on her countenance. 

"Yo Adrian," Erika said to him.

"Hey," he replied. "I'm glad you're back."

"Better get used to it."

Adrian smiled. "I'm already used to it," he said.

Erika looked down at her hands, surprised to find herself feeling awkward. "Hey, uh, sorry that I left so soon last time."

Adrian's gaze never wavered. "It's alright now."

Amber watched the exchanged uneasily, her stomach turning. Finally, she could take it no longer. "This is sickening," she said aloud, rising from her seat, and beginning to walk away. 

"Hey, Amber!" Adrian called, as he watched her walk away. At her name, Amber didn't turn back to him. Adrian turned his gaze back to Erika momentarily, before he rose, and took off after Amber.

Erika turned to the others. "What's up with him?"

"Eh," said Ezra, "they're sort of together."

Erika raised her eyebrows. "Really now?"

"Yeah, a lot's happened," Kat replied.

"Yeah, a lot of shit has happened with me too," Erika retorted.

"Like what?" Kat asked casually.

Erika gave her a look. "Like nothing that you fucking need to know."

"I was just asking."

"And I gave you a fucking response," Erika returned.

The Cliffhangers were silent for a moment.

Erika was visibly irritated. "What the fuck is up with y'all?" she demanded.

Ezra glanced around. "Care to elaborate?"

"Y'all get your shit together, y'all are fucking bores," she said, rising from her seat and taking off.

The Cliffhangers turned to each other and merely shrugged. Ezra started laughing. 

  
  
  
  


* * *

Shelby was sprawled over her bunk, as usual, staring up blankly at the ceiling. Her melancholy thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the door, her eyes drifting towards the guest. Her eyes widened as she registered who it was.

"Yo," Erika announced, tossing her duffle bag on her assigned bunk.

"You're back?" Shelby asked drearily.

"I'm here ain't I?" Erika retorted, unzipping her duffle bag.

"What are you doing here?"

Erika turned towards Shelby. "What do you fucking think I'm doing here? What, you think I'm here on my own free will?"

"Go away, Erika," Shelby muttered, turning away from her.

Erika watched her intently. This wasn't the same girl she'd once known. The girl she'd once known was strong.. The one before Erika at the moment, was weak. "What the fuck is up with you?" Erika questioned. "Is this about Scott?" she continued, removing her things from the duffle bag.

Shelby rolled her eyes. "No, it isn't," she said sarcastically.

"So what, he just left, with you here?"

"Pretty much," Shelby answered wearily.

"What kind of fucking moron is he?!" Erika exclaimed, more to herself than to Shelby. "I don't believe it."

Shelby shrugged, not caring. "Believe what you want."

"I thought he'd never leave this dump," Erika pondered aloud, "for anything, especially not just leave you here."

"What do you care?" Shelby asked outright.

Erika merely shrugged. "It seems pretty fucking odd to me," she replied. "When I think of Scott, I think of him always going on about how fucking great love is, how much you fucking complete him. He gave me this speech before I left. Went on about how you're the fucking reason he goes on."

It proved to be hard for Shelby to hear this. She suppressed the tears welling in her eyes, and offered no response. 

"I guess I was right," Erika continued. 

Shelby almost couldn't bring herself to ask. "About what?"

"You know what I told him?" Erika said to Shelby. "I said, love makes you weak. If you're not evidence of that, I don't know what is." 

Shelby didn't offer a response, wondering if there was truth in her words.

"So either you fucked up big-time," Erika continued, turning to face Shelby, "or he's a hypocritical moron. Which is it?"

"What do you care?"

Erika turned back to her unpacking. "I was just fucking asking," she dismissed. "Get your fucking shit together, girl. Your life doesn't fucking end just because he's gone."

Shelby met Erika's prying stare coldly. If she knew..

"Have you been doing this since he left?" Erika pried.

Shelby didn't offer a response, once again. 

"You have, haven't you?" Erika's countenance twisted in disgust. "You make me sick."

Shelby glowered at her. "Your presence doesn't exactly make me feel warm and fuzzy inside either, honey."

"Un huh," Erika assessed. 

The dorm room door opened with unexpected visitors. "Hey guys," Juliette announced. 

"Just so you know, we have group in an hour."

"Are you going, Shel?" Kat asked.

Shelby glared at her, clearly not in the best mood. "Do I ever go?"

"Just asking," Kat retained. "What about you, Erika?"

Erika shrugged. "Hey, if the lovesick puppy over here doesn't feel like fucking going to group, there's no reason why I need to go."

Shelby sat up defensively. "I am not a lovesick puppy, thank you very.."

Erika rolled her eyes. "Cut the crap," she stated impatiently. Her tone subsequently changed from firm, to mocking and sardonic. "Oh, I can't go to group because I'm too busy being depressed because Scott left, and wah, my life is over."

Shelby glowered at the mocking display.

"Get the fuck over it, girl," Erika continued. "You're fucking weak."

"You don't know the half of it, don't pretend like you do," Shelby said defensively. "What the hell do you care, anyways?"

"I don't," Erika replied simply.

"You're too insensitive to care, that's why."

Erika scoffed. "Let's put this into perspective, alright? So maybe I'm insensitive when it comes to 'love', but look at where I am, compared to you."

Shelby glared. "We're in the exact same place, in case you haven't noticed."

"Home sweet home," Daisy intervened. "No place like a lock down for societal rejects."

"No, we're not!" Erika exclaimed, ignoring Daisy. "You're getting nowhere, girl. You're a fucking wreck. Are you going to fucking mope the rest of your fucking life?!"

Shelby didn't answer, her teeth clenched, ready to pounce on Erika. 

"Then get your shit together! I don't know what this is fucking about," Erika continued, "but you know, I have a few things I'd like to tell Scott."

Kat furrowed her brows. "Like what?"

Erika didn't bother answering. She headed towards the dorm exit. 

"What are you doing, Erika?!" Shelby demanded.

Erika turned towards them momentarily to reply. "What fucking needs to be done that no one else will do." 

She subsequently left, with the rest of the Cliffhanger girls exchanging uneasy glances.

  
  


* * *

  
  


It was still morning. 

Scott was arisen from sleep to his dad's voice, telling him to answer the phone. Unquestioningly, he dragged himself out of uneasy sleep, and began searching for the cordless phone lying around somewhere in his room. 

After awhile of searching, tossing around some laundry that littered the floor of his room, frantically searching, he finally found it. He pressed a button, and put the phone to his ear. 

"Hello?" he said into it.

"Yo, Scott."

The voice on the other end of the phone was vaguely familiar, but at the same time, foreign. "Who is this?" he asked.

"Erika Lavalier, you dumbass."

Scott raised his eyebrows. "Oh, hey Erika. You want something?"

"Hey, I heard you went home. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Scott sat on the edge of his bed. "Um.. what?"

"You're so fucking hypocritical. When I left, you were going on about how fucking great love is, and then you just abandon your girl to go home? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Scott could feel his teeth clenching. "I NEVER abandoned Shelby. She wanted me to leave."

"Not so, Sherlock."

Scott furrowed his brows. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't know? You must be fucking blind." 

Scott was beginning to grow impatient. "Well, are you going to tell me or what?"

"No I am not going to fucking tell you. Even Shelby deserves better than you."

And with that, Scott heard the phone on the other end hang up.

Puzzled, he looked down at the phone, and quickly dialled Horizon's number.

--------------------------------

  
  


Soon, he had Erika back on the phone with him. 

"What in the hell were you talking about?" he demanded.

But this was his only response: "I'm not the one you should be fucking talking to, buddy."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he questioned.

"What do you think it's fucking supposed to mean?! Dumbass."

  
  


And with that, the phone on the other end hung up on him, once again.

Scott put down the phone, Erika's words running through his mind, swarming his thoughts. He rubbed his temples as he tried to figure it out.

It came to him. Realization came to him suddenly and unexpectedly, like a tidal wave suddenly coming down on him, washing over him.

  
  


* * *

The door swung open at the girl's dorm, Erika appearing behind the door. 

"What the hell did you do," Shelby demanded immediately as Erika appeared.

Erika shrugged. "Chill," she dismissed. "I'd be surprised if I did anything."

Shelby continued to eye Erika suspiciously, mentally contemplating what damage she could have caused. Although Shelby then realized that Erika couldn't have done much. The damage between her and Scott was already irreparable. Nothing Erika could do could make it worse, she reasoned. 

A knock came at the girl's dorm, before the door swung open again. One of Peter's secretaries stood in the doorway.

"Shelby.. You have a phone call."

"From who?" Shelby asked drearily.

"Scott."

Shelby was completely motionless at the revelation. Her heart had stopped. 

"Shelby?" the secretary asked.

"I'm not answering it," said Shelby decidedly, suddenly remembering how to breathe. 

"Why not?" Kat asked immediately. 

Shelby turned to her, irritated. "I gave up on him, remember?"

"But he hasn't given up on you yet," Daisy pointed out. 

"He lost his chance," Shelby replied. 

"That's the right fucking attitude if you ask me," said Erika. "Scott's messed up."

"At least hear what he has to say," Kat reasoned. "You might as well."

"Why?"

"What do you have to lose?"

Shelby considered it for a moment. "You know," she said finally. "You're right. It's not like I have anything to lose. I've already lost everything."

* * *

As Shelby walked to Peter's office, she pondered the new development. Why on earth had Scott decided to call her now? What had been wrong with calling her two months ago? All of a sudden he wanted to hear from her? Drearily, she wondered if Scott calling was Erika's doing. The possibility didn't seem entirely implausible. 

The secretary led her to the phone in the main office. Shelby took the phone when it was handed to her, but waited a few moments, as if in preparation, before speaking into it. 

"Hello?" she said uncertainly. 

"Hi.. It's Scott."

"Un huh.." said Shelby. "What do you want?"

"I was just wondering.. You know... how are you doing?"

"Um.." Shelby began, racking her brain for the right words. "I'm surviving. What about you?"

"I've never felt worse."

Shelby almost could bring herself to ask. "Really?"

"Yeah." 

"Score any touchdowns?" Shelby asked, steering the conversation away from fragile territory.

"None that mean anything."

"Un huh?"

"Yeah."

Shelby swallowed. This was more awkward than she'd thought it'd be. "So.. uh.. why'd you call?"

"I wanted to hear from you. Is that alright?"

"Why didn't you want to hear from me two months ago?" she questioned. 

"Hmm? What are you talking about, Shel? Did you *want* me to phone you or something?"

Shelby furrowed her brows. She contemplated to possibilities- either he had become a consummate liar in her absence, or the message hadn't reached him. "Oh.. Well, nevermind."

"Shelby do you forgive me?"

Shelby was caught off guard by the question. As if he should be asking her for forgiveness. "For what?"

"For whatever I did that made you hate me."

Shelby's stomach turned. He still blames himself, she realized. "It's not like that, okay?" she managed. 

"What?"

"It's not like that."

"It's not like what?"

Shelby closed her eyes, trying to find the words. "Just.. nevermind."

"Shelby- do you love me?"

She was caught speechless. "What kind of question is that?" she asked finally.

"I want to know. I need to know."

Tears formed in the corners of Shelby's eyes, and a tear escaped down her cheek.

"Shelby- I need to know. Do you know how much the last two months have sucked for me? Do you know how much I'd rather be there with you?"

"You *can't* be here, Scott," Shelby managed, her voice betraying emotion. "You have a scholarship to.."

"I don't want the damn scholarship, Shelby. I don't care about that."

"Why not," Shelby questioned, her eyes still teary, afraid of his answer.

"Because I only care about you."

Shelby didn't reply.. couldn't reply. Couldn't bring herself to reply.. couldn't find the words to say.

"Shelby?"

Shelby closed her eyes. "I've never stopped loving you."

And with that, she hung up the phone, wiping at the tears on her cheeks, dabbing at her eyes. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	37. Reconnecting

Author's Note: Hey y'all, again. Thanks for reviewing. =) =) I really appreciate it! This chapter came out later than anticipated, but, in any case, it's here.. And it's long! Without further ado, here's the next chapter! Enjoy.. :) -Jazz

  
  


* * *

The Cliffhanger girls watched as Shelby entered the girls dorm room, lightly closing the door behind her. She stared off absently into space, and uncharacteristically sighed dreamily as she collapsed onto her bunk 

"What's up, Shel?" Kat asked her.

Apparently, Shelby hadn't heard, as she didn't answer. 

"Shelby?" said Daisy.

Shelby seemed to be off somewhere, floating on some distant planet, some world of her own. Something good had definitely transpired, that much was obvious to them all, and they would have all agreed, that it was about time.

"Joe Space Cadet?" continued Daisy, trying in vain to get her attention. 

And with that, Shelby seemed to have been transported back to earth. "Hmm?" she said, turning to Daisy.

"What happened?" Kat asked again.

Shelby smiled absently. "I told Scott I loved him."

Erika raised her eyebrows. "What the hell for?" she asked, seriously disturbed.

Shelby gave her a look. But it wasn't a glare, or a look of slightest irritation. It appeared that Shelby, as she was now, was by no means capable of scowling, too occupied replaying Scott and her's conversation on the phone. It was a mere look, her eyes meeting Erika's. "Because I do, damn it." 

For once, Shelby was happy. Apparently, a mere dose of Scott to treat her condition of a splintered heart, was just the medicine she had needed.

  
  
  
  


* * *

"Scott."

Scott raised his eyes disinterestedly to the speaker. 

"Dad," he returned.

"Is there something you'd like to tell me about?"

Scott slumped in his chair. "No."

"Really?" Martin began, rising from his seat. "That's funny because I received a phone call from your school guidance counsellor.. Scott, are you listening? In any case, they're worried about you."

"Yeah?" said Scott. "I'm worried about me too."

"And why is that?"

Scott sighed, exasperated. "Because there's a girl out there who loves me, and I'm not with her," he said.

"Is this about Shelby?" Martin questioned suspiciously.

"Yeah, dad."

"Horizon is past you, Scott." 

Scott shook his head. "No, it's not." 

"Scott, if you intend to get anywhere in life, you have to let it go," Martin continued. 

"I can't," Scott replied. "I won't."

"Well, why not?!"

"Because I love her too."

Martin was left staring dumbfounded at his son. Was Scott out of his mind? He wanted to return to Horizon, for Shelby, of all things?!

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden ring of the telephone.

Martin glared at his son as he picked up the receiver, his eyes never leaving Scott. "Hello?"

"Hi, it's me."

"Oh... hello," Martin managed.

"Is everything okay? Am I interrupting something?"

Martin exhaled into the phone impatiently. "Not really. Scott's just decided that if he could he'd throw his life away. I'm not going to let him, though."

"What's going on?"

Martin shook his head as if confounded. "Scott doesn't even want to be here," he replied.

"Put him on the phone."

"Alright," he said. "Scott? Phone."

Scott rose from his chair and took the phone form his dad. "Hello?" he said.

It was his mother's voice on the other end. "Hi Scott."

"Hi mom.. What's up."

"Not much," she replied, "although I hear there are things going on with you."

"Oh.. You mean here?"

"Yes. So what's going on?"

"Well," said Scott, "there's this girl back at Horizon who I still love, who I want to be with, right now. That's all."

Scott could hear a smile in his mom's voice. "Does this girl have a name?"

"Yeah, Shelby. What do you think I should do?"

"Follow your heart," came the knowing reply. "Always follow your heart, because in the end, at the end of the day, you have to live with yourself. Don't do what you'll later regret."

"Alright, thanks mom."

"No problem. I love you."

"Yeah. Bye."

"Bye."

  
  


* * *

Juliette sped through the hallways, hurrying to Peter's office. She'd been alerted that a visitor had come to see her, and she didn't have the slightest clue who it could be. Nor did she stop to wonder. 

As she came within feet of Peter's office, she stopped in her tracks, her mouth gaping open. 

A professionally-attired figure stood before the office's doors, an expensive coat tightly wound around her. Clad in high heels, and sunglasses, with meticulously placed, perfectly styled hair. The woman raised her sunglasses.

Juliette immediately registered who it was that had come to see her, and instinctively, she took a few steps backwards, a few steps away if only to increase their physical distance, crossing her arms defensively.

"Mom- what are you doing here?" she asked, when she recovered from her initial shock.

"I just came to tell you the news.. in person," was her mother's cool response, she making no effort to close the prolonged distance between her and her daughter. 

Juliette eyed her mother uncertainly. "What news?"

"That," the elder began, and it was a few seconds before she resumed. A plastered, indifferent smile appeared on her visage, and her gloved hands folded together. "That you were right. And.. Perhaps I ought to have listened to you."

Juliette's eyes now widened in fear. "What happened?" she questioned immediately. 

She shrugged. "He left me."

"What else?" Juliette pried, almost afraid of the answer.

Her mom crossed her arms and stared frigidly at her daughter, careful to betray no emotion when she spoke. "With my money, and a file for divorce. Not to mention the prenuptial agreement.."

Tears welled in Juliette's eyes. "I told you he would. You didn't listen," she said angrily.

"I'll try to listen to what you have to say more often. Goodbye."

And with that, Juliette's mom turned her back on her daughter and headed for the door, placing her sunglasses back.

"Don't you have something else to say to me?!" Juliette demanded.

Juliette watched as her mom slowly turned around, her eyebrows raised as if surprised by her daughter's defiance. "What?"

"Like maybe that you're sorry?" 

Her mom took a few steps closer to her daughter, closing the distance between them. "And what do I have to be sorry for?"

Juliette furrowed her eyebrows in disbelief. "Mom- you told me I was delusional- you told me I was crazy. I knew all along, and you didn't care what I had to say."

Her mom slightly raised the sleeve of her coat to glance at her watch. 

"And now that I've proved you wrong," Juliette continued, "you still won't apologise to me. Unbelievable. I can't deal with this." 

Still, her mom offered no response, she merely maintaining a flat stare. But Juliette hadn't finished yet.

"Your life could have been in danger- and you tell me I'm crazy, that I'm back to my old ways. I deserve an apology!"

"Goodbye Juliette," said her mom stolidly, turning her back once again. 

Juliette felt as though she'd burst into tears in any moment as she watched her mom walk away from her. Rejection, once again, and she wasn't getting any better at dealing with it.

  
  
  
  


* * *

Scott hung up the phone, and subsequently turned to his dad. 

"I'm not staying any longer," he announced.

Martin rubbed his forehead. "Scott, what are you talking about?"

"Shelby, that's what I'm talking about." 

Martin stared at his son incredulously. "Get a hold on yourself! This is your future!"

Scott shook his head defiantly. "Shelby is my future."

"No, she isn't!" said Martin, raising his voice. "Your future is football."

Scott looked at his father in disgust. "I don't need you to tell me what my future is," he said curtly. He subsequently started walking away, when his father's words stopped him in his tracks. 

"Don't you get it, Scott?!" he said, exasperated. "Shelby wants you to be here!"

Scott slowly turned around. "What are you talking about? What would you know?"

"I had a discussion with Shelby, and we decided-"

Scott didn't allow his father to finish. "You talked with Shelby?! Oh my God.. That explains a lot, dad. That whole ordeal nearly destroyed me!"

Scott threw a menacing glare towards his dad, and picked up the cordless phone, keeping a watchful eye on his meddling father.

"Scott, what are you doing?!"

Scott began dialling the numbers. "Doing what I should have done months ago," he replied coldly.

"Scott, no! What are you thinking!? We've worked hard to get you out of Horizon, you have a second chance! Don't waste it!"

Scott covered the phone as he heard it ring. "What's that supposed to mean- 'we've all worked hard to get me out of Horizon'? What, is there more of you?!"

Scott left the room, closing the door behind him, the phone still to his ear.

"Scott!" Martin called after him, opening the closed door. He spotted his son walking up the nearby carpeted stairs.

Scott spoke into the phone, his words inaudible to Martin, before turning around to face him. "This is why I didn't come home before!"

Father and son confronted one another, their gazes locked. Scott stood on stairs, staring down at his father on the main floor. 

"I will NEVER forgive you," Scott continued, before turning, and starting back up the stairs. 

  
  


Scott came to his room, and sat at the edge of his bed, the phone still to his ear. As he waited, he pulled out a certain photograph from a drawer.

"Hello?"

Scott sat up immediately the moment his girlfriend's voice sounded on the other end of the phone.

"Hi Shel," he said. 

"Hi.. Scott." 

He wasn't sure how he was going to get it all out of his system. Wasn't sure where to start. But he decided to dive right into it. "I love you Shel. And I'm coming back."

It was a moment until she answered, a moment that seemed to span an eternity. "What?"

"I found out," Scott replied quickly. "I know, now."

"What do you know?"

"My dad- you guys talked.."

"Oh.. So, what, now I'm busted?"

Scott smiled softly. "Yeah, Shel," he said. His smile faded as he continued. "I can't believe my dad had the nerve.."

"Scott, it's alright."

Huh? "No, it's *not* alright Shel," he insisted.

"He just wanted what's best for you."

Scott smiled at the irony of it all. "Well, what's best for me, and what he thinks is best for me are completely different things."

He could hear a smile in Shelby's words. "I love you."

Scott thought that he'd die from happiness. "You would not believe how good it is to hear those words."

"I can imagine. How do you think the last few months have been for me?"

"Too long?" 

"That's one way of putting it."

  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


Adrian found Erika shooting hoops at an empty basketball net. As he neared her closer, she didn't appear to notice his presence.

"Hey," he said, standing mere feet away, making his presence known. Erika turned to him, her gaze impassive as she continued to dribble the basketball. 

"It's good to have you back, Erika," Adrian continued.

Erika merely laughed, a shrill, amused laugh that made Adrian's insides churn. 

Adrian stood unmoving, throughly confounded and uncomfortable. He watched as Erika took a shot at the net, and narrowly missed, the ball bouncing off of the rim. 

"Erika?"

She retrieved the ball, and turned to him, finally. "I hear you've kept busy," she said simply.

He was growing more uncomfortable by the minute. "What?"

Erika's eyes were cold as they pierced into him. "Don't give me this shit."

"Hey, what are you talking about?"

Erika took a place before the basketball net, and shot again. "Think hard. Think real fucking hard."

Adrian bit his lip, hoping that his fears wouldn't be realized. "Is this about Amber?" he questioned.

"Sounds like you were pretty fucking desperate."

Adrian sighed, wondering how he was going to dig a way out of the mess he'd created. "Erika- it's not like that," he said.

"It's not like what?"

"It's not like you think."

Erika tossed to basketball to Adrian. "And what do I think?"

He merely tossed it back to her. "We never went out or anything *remotely* like that."

"Don't fucking lie to me."

"I'm not lying."

Erika shot the ball at the net again, single-handed, it more of a wild throw, that sprung from the backboard and came bounding onto the ground. Erika caught it with visible ease. "Adrian, I don't have time for this shit. Stay the fuck away from me." 

  
  


* * *

Adrian blearily loped back to the boys dorm. It proved to be, unsurprisingly dull. Auggie was idly dribbling a basketball against a wall, with a pile of homework collecting dust beside him. Ezra was quietly writing in his journal. 

Auggie was the first to notice Adrian's glum expression. "Yo, man, what's wrong now?"

Adrian released an exasperated sigh as he sat down on the edge of his bunk. "Erika hates me."

Auggie couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of it all. "It's always something about that girl, isn't it?" he said. "Erika's not here, Erika hates me.. Blah blah. What don't you go do somethin' 'bout it, man?"

Adrian's response was a monotone. "She told me to stay the fuck away from her."

Ezra just happened to overhear. "Well, in that case, if I were you, I'd stay as far away from her as possible," he said, laughing. 

"I can't."

"Well then.." Auggie began, but left his sentence unfinished. "Guess you're screwed, Garret. But man, why do you like that girl?" 

"Yeah," added Ezra, "I mean, she's turned you down enough times."

Auggie turned to Ezra, laughing. "Since when has that ever stopped you?"

"Why does she hate me?" Adrian mulled.

"Man, I hope you don't expect us to know," replied Auggie. "I don't know how any girl's mind works, let alone the monster Erika.. Nuh un." 

"I just wish I knew," said Adrian despairingly. "I don't understand her. She won't let me. I know I could."

"Man, give it up," said Auggie finally. "She's a lost cause."

Adrian stayed silent, but as if in denial, imperceptibly shook his head. He wasn't the type to give up easily, and it would be no different with Erika.

  
  
  
  


* * *

Scott was still in his room, the phone still to his ear, Shelby's voice gone. Frankly, he was surprised that his dad hadn't disconnected the phone yet. As he waited, he wondered half-seriously what was keeping his father from disconnecting the phone. A sudden change of heart? A pang of guilt? Inability to reach the offending cord? 

The awaited voice sounded out of the speaker.

"Scott? How are you faring?" It was Peter's voice. Scott had asked to speak with his former headmaster.

"I want to come back, Peter."

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"I just want to come back, alright?" said Scott insistently.

"For what reason?" 

Scott wasn't surprised by Peter's familiar prying antics. "Shelby," he admitted.

"Alright, I see. How far away is your graduation?"

"A month. But what-"

"Don't you think it would be wiser to come back down after you've finished school? You'd come back just in time for the morp."

Scott considered it. He figured he might as well complete his school year. "Okay.. I guess that sounds alright. Can you get Shelby? I want to talk with her."

"Sure."

  
  


-----------------

  
  


"Hello?"

Scott smiled to himself when he heard his girlfriend's voice over the phone. "Hey Shel"

"Scott."

"Yeah. Guess what, Shel."

"What?"

"I just talked with Peter. I'm going to come back in time for the morp."

A long pause ensued. Scott wasn't sure if it was created out of shock, or speechlessness, or happiness, or what. He merely waited for her reply, although it didn't come. 

"I'm serious," he continued.

"I don't know what to say, Scott. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Shel. Hey, is our 'future together thing' still on?"

"I don't know.. But I'd.. Love it so much if it were."

"Yeah, me too," said Scott. "Do you have *any idea* how much better my day has gotten?"

"I totally know what you mean."

  
  


* * *

  
  


The Cliffhanger girls were lounging around in their dorm room, keeping themselves occupied. 

A knock came at the door, and all eyes in the room were transferred to the person who'd opened the door and was now walking through the doorframe. 

The guest was a familiar one, with wild raven hair, a lanky build..

"Erika?" said Adrian tentatively.

Erika's eyes hardened. "I thought I told you to stay the fuck away from me!"

"I can't!" Adrian confessed. 

Erika rose from her bunk, unaware of the entire dorm watching their interaction. 

"What the hell is it that you want?!" she demanded, both irritated and incredulous at his relentless pursuing.

"You!"

Daisy hid a smile at the answer. 

"Well, guess what shithead," said Erika, mere feet away from him. "You can't fucking have me! I belong to NO ONE!"

Adrian was seemingly unintimidated, and patient. "All I can do is offer myself in return," he said. 

Erika rolled her eyes. She'd had enough.

"Go back to your whore!" Erika exclaimed, before roughly shoving him through the doorframe and closing the door behind her. 

She had the look on her face of one who'd just found and exterminated a rat, a pesky little creature she had no intention of letting live. 

With Adrian gone, Erika was suddenly aware of all eyes on her. 

"Wow, Erika," remarked Kat, "you've got some love life."

Irritated, Erika rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at Kat, who caught it and smiled in amusement.

  
  


A few minutes later, the door to the Cliffhanger girl's dorm began to open again, Erika uneasy for a moment, wondering if it was again Adrian. But if proved to be Shelby, smiling absently, seemingly on cloud nine. 

"What the fuck are you smiling about.." said Erika, fending off boredom. She watched as Shelby sat on the edge of her bunk, and suddenly burst into tears. "Or crying about? Nevermind. I don't want to know."

"Scott," said Shelby, smiling through her tears of happiness. "I love him so much." 

Erika rolled her eyes drearily. "I wish I hadn't asked," she remarked. 

"He's coming back for me after the morp," Shelby continued. 

Kat jumped up and hugged Shelby. "Oh my God! That's so great, Shel!"

"And then what will you two do?" Daisy asked. "Ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after? Is that it?"

Shelby turned to Daisy, a sudden seriousness washed over her face. "Be happy for me, Dais."

"I am." 

A quiet smile reappeared on Shelby's visage, and tears continued to slowly trickle down her cheeks.

"Stop fucking crying,"said Erika.

"This is so the happiest day of my life."

  
  


* * *

later.................   
  
  
  


Adrian searched the campus for her, but to no avail. Her presence was unusually absent on the sports field. He finally located her sitting on a picnic table, deliberately alone, reading a folded piece of paper.

Adrian cautiously approached the picnic table on which Erika sat, but he stopped mid-stride when she discovered his presence, and her cold eyes pierced his. "What the FUCK are you doing here?" she demanded. 

He didn't reply immediately. "I dumped Amber," he said eventually. 

"Tell someone who gives a shit," was her reply, and as if disinterested, she shifted her attention to the paper in her hands, a ripped envelope close by. 

"What's that?" he asked.

"None of your damn business, that's what it is."

Adrian saw the handwriting that covered the paper. "It's a letter," he remarked.

She appeared unimpressed. "Very good, Adrian. From my fucking criminal of a father."

Adrian was struck by the bitterness in her tone. Warily, he reached out to touch her hand, as if in comfort. But at the contact, Erika immediately retracted, otherwise completely ignoring him.

"God dammit, Erika."

She didn't even raise her eyes to him in response, in affirmation that she'd even heard him. 

"I do care about you, you know," he continued. 

That caught her attention. Erika put down the letter she held, and shot him an icy gaze. "I have never given you a fucking reason to care about me," she said. "Fuck off."

"What about the nights before you left," Adrian offered. "You were writing a letter to your father. We talked for a really long time. What was that?" 

"That was your fucking imagination." 

"No, it wasn't."

Erika shrugged. "Not my fucking fault you're delusional."

Adrian's eyes revealed hurt, and his gaze was pleading. "Why do you do this to yourself? You don't need to."

"Why the hell are you like this to me?" demanded Erika. "What, do you think it'll get you laid? Is that it?" 

He shook his head sadly. "You've got it all wrong."

"What are you fucking telling me? That you're in love with me, is that it?" 

Adrian nodded. "Pretty much."

"Love is bullshit. It's an excuse to fuck." 

Adrian rubbed his forehead, growing frustrated. "Did it ever occur to you, ever, that maybe I like you for you?"

"Not once," came her curt reply. 

Adrian ignored her last comment. "..That for some strange reason I'm drawn to you for who you are. Honestly, I don't know why anymore. I just- I can feel it in my gut." 

"Save it for someone who gives a shit."

Adrian drew closer to her, and gazed in her eyes. "Do you feel it too?" 

She met his eyes coldly. "Can you feel this?" she asked, and Adrian suddenly felt a hard blow across his face. 

"When I tell someone to fuck off," continued Erika, "I mean it." 


	38. Score to Settle part 1

Hehe... This chapter is in parts, because unexpected soap opera melodrama inspiration has struck, and I decided to alter my original storyline because of it! Heheh.. The melodrama is now notched up to HIGH. :) One of my characters is now a frigging crazy schizophrenic, but well what can I say, it's crazy. And the craziness is only just beginning. :) :) Enjoy. -Jazz  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  


"What the hell is this?"

Erika had just returned to the girl's dorm from her wood-chopping duties, to find a sealed envelope sitting on her bunk. She eyed it suspiciously, an otherwise blank white envelope with her name written in exquisite calligraphy. 

Kat smiled warmly. "Adrian came in and left it for you," she explained. "Isn't that sweet?" 

"Hardly," said Erika, now studying the envelope in her hands. "What the hell is it? Anthrax?"

Kat laughed.

Daisy rolled her eyes, "That's probably the last thing he'd send you," she said. 

"Open it," Kat urged, equally piqued by her own curiosity, as she was anxious for Erika.

Perplexed, Erika ripped open the envelope carelessly, and pulled from it a piece of folder paper. Kat appeared beside Erika, watching as she unfolded the paper, not caring that perhaps it wasn't any of her business.

Erika now held the paper in its full glory. Kat smiled, and realization alighted her eyes as her eyes touched it.

Erika merely frowned, and turned it sideways, as if not comprehending. 

It was a drawing.

"It's beautiful! Look, that's him," began Kat, indicating the objects she spoke of as she spoke, "there's you, and look, there's a space missing for his heart. Isn't that so sweet?" 

Daisy rolled her eyes again, as she stacked her deck of tarot cards.

"It says, basically, that you have his heart."

Erika appeared irritated as she grasped the depiction from Kat's grasp and shoved it back into its envelope. "God he's desperate," she remarked.

"That's a shock," Daisy uttered under her breath. 

Kat smiled sweetly. "Why are you such a nonbeliever?" 

"Love's a joke," Erika opined heedlessly. " It doesn't exist. People who think they're in love are so fucking weak and vulnerable it's pathetic."

"I disagree," said Daisy. "You saw Shelby without Scott. Look at her now. Scott's love made her stronger."

Erika didn't bother to conceal her incredulity. "Stronger? Nun uh. Happier, maybe. More pathetic, definitely. She depends on Scott for her fucking state of well being."

Daisy met Erika's gaze, but it was awhile before anything came through her unreadable expression. A knowing smile slowly spread across her face. "You're afraid," Daisy stated. 

Erika blinked. "Of what."

"Being vulnerable."

Erika laughed. "No shit," she said.

"So what, you just push it away?" intervened Kat. 

Erika shrugged, finding it hard to care what they said.

"It's not too late," Kat continued. "It's never too late."

"I don't want to hear your fucking preaching on love."

"You know," said Shelby, "Love probably saved my life.. Or at very least my sanity."

"You are no where near sane. I mean, if you're going to make arguments, you'd at least think that you should try to make valid ones."

Juliette listened attentively, but unlike her, unlike her usual self, unlike her former self, she said nothing. She merely took it in, maintaining a thoughtful and conflicted expression as she did. 

"You guys really think love makes you stronger?" she said at last.

"Yeah," replied Kat easily. "You know what else I think? Auggie's still waiting for you, Jules."  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  


  
  


Auggie was finishing up his homework in the main lodge, when Juliette came and appeared beside him.

"Augusto?" she said tentatively.

"Hey Twig," he responded.

"Hi."

"What's up."

"I need to talk with you," she said.

Auggie folded his books, and set down his stuff. "Sure."

They exited the main lodge until they reached the outdoors, where it was quieter.

"A lot's been going on with me, I know that you know that," Juliette began, she and Auggie walking side by side. "Thanks for understanding that."

"No problem, Jules," he replied easily, wondering where she was going with it.

She shrugged, as if trying to find the words. "It's just been hard for me."

"And you wanna tell me 'bout it?" said Auggie. Quickly, he added, "I understand if you don't."

"I want to tell you. I haven't been fair to you. At all. I'm sorry. I'm just used to dealing with these kinds of things by myself."

Auggie wrapped an arm around her protectively. "Well don't even think about doing that anymore. You've always got me Jules, you know that?"

"I know. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Twig." 

* * *

Amber was supposed to be somewhere at that moment, somewhere that, she reasoned, couldn't have been that important if she couldn't remember. She stood unmoving, watching like a hawk would its prey. 

What did he think he was doing, dumping her?! He couldn't do that. 

Besides, her thoughts ran on, he still wants you. He needs you. 

He's in denial.. He has to be. There's no other logical explanation.

She watched him, doodling stupidly in that damned notebook. That's all he ever did. Such predictability- men were often of the like. 

It hadn't been much of a stab in the dark, she knew where he'd be.. He was always there when he wasn't swooning over.. Erika.

Amber immediately blocked out all thought. The last thing she wanted to think about was Erika, her towering height and all, her blond hair that was always upswept in a ponytail, hard green eyes that seemed to penetrate all who dared to cross their path.. 

Amber had seen the way Adrian had looked when Erika had suddenly appeared after months of estrangement, the pleasant surprise that had overtaken his dark eyes, the way his lips twisted into a smile.. All of it sickened her. Adrian had even spoken of Erika while she had been away.

It was all wrong, she said to herself.

Of course it's wrong, a second voice that sounded in her head reassured. That's why you must set him straight.

Amber slowly drew closer to him, her slinky steps virtually imperceptible to him, so absorbed he was in his artwork. 

It was then that she caught a glimpse of his art herself, and her stomach churned.

She composed herself immediately when he caught sight of her. 

He looked up only momentarily from his work. Why, oh why what that stuff so infinitely precious to him? she wondered. They were but lines of pencil scribbled across a paper. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

That was it? she asked herself.

You can hold the guy's attention for more than a second, can you not? another voice sounded in her head.

Of course I can, she uttered to herself under her breath. 

Amber sat down beside him, a mischievous twinkle in her eye, a devilish smile on her face, so conspicuous, and yet so imperceptible to someone right beside her, absorbed in his sketching.  
  


Her lips on his neck, he flinched under her touch.

He turned to her, his eyes level with hers. Finally, she thought, I have his full attention.

"I dumped you remember?!"

Amber merely grinned broader, as if it was an encouragement to continue. 

Adrian stopped her. "Amber!"

"You can't just dump me," she replied flatly. "I refused to be dumped." 

Adrian looked like he was about to laugh. "You don't have any say in it," he said clearly. "You were a mistake."

Amber could feel an unmistakable anger beginning to boil beneath the surface of her skin. 

Don't let his words anger you! she heard the voice that dwelled in her head say.

"I was a *mistake*?! Excuse me?!"

"You heard me," Adrian replied, unusually unsympathetic. "I never had feelings for you, but I let myself be seduced by you! Go away!"

"Oh, I don't go away."

Like a parasite, she thought, you will never be able to get away from me. I am infested in your very skin. 

He wants you, another voice sounded. He needs you.

"Amber! I'm serious."

"So am I," Amber said coolly. "I don't like being told what to do." 

He completely ignored her now, picking his pencil back up, and returning his attention to his artwork.

She recaptured his attention by sliding her snakelike fingers along his jaw. "You don't know what I'm capable of," she maintained.

He removed her fingers from his face. "I don't want to know, either."

Now she was just angry. 

What do I do, now? she asked internally, hoping to receive an answer from one of the voices that frequently dwelled in her mind.

But to her utter dismay, none came. "Adrian!" she shouted.

"What? Listen," he said, visibly growing impatient. "I know it's not easy being dumped, but now you have to move on." 

"I don't move on. I want your body," she said, sliding a chipped fingernail down the length of his arm, leaving a scratchy path on his skin. 

Everyone reached a point when their well of patience had gone dry, their frustration no longer manageable.. And Adrian had reached that point.

"Amber, get the hell off of me. You're going to have to learn how to deal with rejection sooner or later. Sorry it had to be me." 

The look in Amber's eyes was eerie, bordering on creepy. "Last time I was rejected," she revealed, "I landed here. Last chance, Adrian."

"I pass on it." 

"No, you don't!" Amber screeched, and it was only then that she read the look in his eyes. There was resolve in those dark eyes. 

The voices must have misled her, she reasoned.

She wanted to do something- anything to vent to anger. The voices had misled her!

She impulsively slapped Adrian across the face.

He, although, to her dismay, seemed neither hurt by her strike, or surprised. 

"You don't want me as an enemy," she vented at him.

"Actually, noting would make me happier," Adrian said, gathering his things, and leaving her. "See ya."

Amber could feel the rage bubbling inside her. "Oh, I am so not through with you yet," she muttered under her breath.  
  


* * *

The next day.........   
  
  
  


It was like any other day for Scott Barringer. The alarm clock sounded noisily in the silence of his room, 7:00am exactly on the dot, but today, it didn't irritate him nearly as much as usual. He awoke feeling refreshed and full of energy, despite that he'd spent most of the night studying. 

Today, he had something to live for. It wasn't with him at the moment, but it was out there nonetheless, a beautiful girl waiting for him to see her and scoop her up in his arms, and they'd live together happily forever, as far as he was concerned. 

His dad was already up, scanning the newspaper at the kitchen table by the time Scott had gotten downstairs to fix himself some breakfast before he headed off to school.

He decided on two pieces of toast. 

Silence from his father.

Scott popped the slices of toast into the toaster.

"Scott," his dad's voice sounded.

"What."

"I know we didn't exactly end on good terms last night, in our argument, but I believe there is more to discuss."

Scott couldn't have cared less. "I know you don't like what I'm doing, but I don't care."

"Out of curiosity Scott," said his dad, his tone suddenly sharp, "what do you plan to do after school?"

The answer was easy. "Be with Shelby."

Scott could hear the frustration and exasperation in his dad's voice. "Scott- "

"I'm going to live my life the way I want to live it," Scott continued, "and I don't care what you think about it."

"And what are you going to do about money?"

Scott's toast popped out of the toaster. "We'll figure it out as we go," he replied.

"Are you completely out of your mind, Scott?! Try to think realistically." 

"I am," said Scott, now buttering his toast. "You can't run my life. I'm going to do what I want. I'm not going to let you intervene." 

"You can't just expect me to watch from the sidelines as you ruin your life. Why do you think I brought you home, Scott?!"

"To destroy me? Oh, that's right, you've already done that. I'm not going to let you do it again."  
  
  
  


* * *

As the Cliffhanger girls returned to their dorm after class, another sealed envelope awaited Erika on her return. 

"Look, it's another one," Kat remarked. Juliette giggled- if she wasn't completely back to normal, she was pretty close.

It was a ritual, now. Erika would receive an envelope with her name in beautiful calligraphy on the front, inside would be a drawing of some sort, and they'd all aid to figure out what exactly it meant, what Adrian was trying to convey. The drawings he sent were beautiful, but sometimes cryptic in meaning. They were usually along the lines of how he felt for Erika, although they'd only seen a couple of them so far. But apparently, all of his drawings meant something.

And once Amber caught a glance of it, it meant something to her too. It was the same drawing Adrian had been sketching since she'd last talked with him the day before.

A border of thorned roses that intertwined each other, a broken glass rose in the centre, lying in shards. In the shards was a reflection of Erika's face.

"Now this one, I really don't get," Kat said, studying the picture with equal fascination and frustration.

"Maybe.." began Juliette, waiting until the Cliffhanger girls turned her way, " Maybe it means that Adrian's heart is a rose, and that it's broken, and only Erika can fix it."

"That doesn't make much sense," Daisy commented. "Maybe he means, his heart is a rose in that it is shrivelling up and dying, and the thorns represent.. Something?"

"Is that from Adrian?"

"Yeah," said Juliette, in high spirits. "Isn't it pretty?"

"I don't know why he bothers," said Amber. "If he's going to lust after someone, you'd think he'd at least go for someone attractive."

Juliette's jaw dropped.

"Amber," Kat warned.

Erika's lips twisted into a smile as she fiercely met Amber's gaze. "Oh, she's just upset because now, she's got to get her cash elsewhere."

Amber vaulted off of her bunk, to meet Erika, who had risen from her own bunk.

Faintly, she could discern Kat's voice, cautioning. "Don't start now, guys."

Amber made no indication that she heard, her eyes alight with fury. Wildly, she swung at Erika, attempting to strike her face. But her hand was intercepted midway. Erika, who now held Amber's arm in place, her grip steel.

"I can snap you in half," said Erika, as she sends Amber backwards, slamming her into the dorm room wall.

"Erika!" Kat cried. 

Shelby watched disinterestedly as she made her way towards the dorm exit. 

"What are you doing, Shelby?!" asked Kat.

"I'm going to call Scott." And she was gone, leaving just Amber and Erika, and Daisy and Kat. 

Against the wall, Amber tackled Erika as hard as she could, only to be thrown, now onto the floor.

Erika and Amber were now sprawled on the floor, Amber trying in vain to rise, but could only squirm as Erika kept her firmly in place, and struck her across the face.

"This is too easy," Erika whispered, "You're pathetic."

Kat was growing frantic. "This is enough. Erika stop it." 

Erika laughed. "This is way too much fun."

Kat put her hands on her hips. "Erika, if you don't stop right now, I'm getting Peter."

For a few moments, Erika was unmoving, her eyes penetrating Amber's. She dug her nails into Amber's neck, if only to provoke a reaction.

And she did just that, a flash of fear crossed Amber's eyes.

Erika's grip reluctantly slackened, but her gaze was hard as ever. "This is a warning," she said to Amber. "If you've ever got another smart-ass comment to share, don't expect any mercy from me, don't expect me to care that 'Peter is coming'."  
  


* * *

Shelby waited anxiously on the phone, and to her delight, Scott was quick to answer on the other end.

"Hi Scott," Shelby said with a smile. 

"Hey, Shel. What's up?"

"What's up here? Well.. Amber and Erika are really going at eachother.. Well actually Erika's probably beating Amber to a pulp."

Shelby could hear Scott's laugh. "Yeah, I can believe it. Wish I was there."

"I'm counting the days," Shelby informed him happily. "There's 27 until the Morp." 

"27, eh? God, that's a long time. I love you Shel." 

"I love you," she said in reply. 

"By the way, I forgot to ask you about this before, but I found this picture when I got home and opened my duffel. It was in the side pocket."

"Yeah. Guilty, my doing. I didn't know what to do with myself. I loved you so much, but I had to stay goodbye. I just needed to tell you, and I couldn't have you forget me. I'm *so* sorry about it all."

"Shel, don't even think about taking the blame. It's *not* your fault."   
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

It was lunch break. 

The Cliffhangers were in the cafeteria, eating and chatting away idly.

Looking around, a peculiarity suddenly stuck out at Adrian. "Where's Amber?" he asked curiously.

Daisy chuckled. "Ask Erika," she said.

Adrian turned to Erika. "Erika?"

"She's in the infirmary," Kat explained quickly.

But Adrian's gaze never moved from Erika. He watched her, an air of suspicion, their gazes locked, her eyes like steel. "I beat up your girlfriend," she revealed. "I would apologize, but, I'm not sorry at all."

Adrian's gaze drifted momentarily, if only to assess her revelations, before he met her gaze again. "Amber was never my girlfriend."

Erika forced a laugh. "Yeah, sure. Tell me another one." 

Kat could sense the palpable tension. "Give it a rest you two," she said.

"Why don't you believe me?!" Adrian demanded, ignoring Kat.

Erika folded her arms. "Maybe because you've never given me a fucking reason to."

Adrian's eyes closed, and scrunched up, before he looked at Erika with so much longing it visibly consumed him. He was in pain. The lovely, steel emerald eyes that lashed out at him, her words that stung like the sharpness of a whip. "I love you," he said.

Erika merely shook her head, dismissing his every word. "And I suppose that's why the minute I left you starting fucking that bitch."

"Man, Erika," Auggie intervened, "d'you know how much Adrian sulked when you weren't here? I thought he was never gonna come out of it." 

"I really don't give a shit."

Erika turned her attention away from Adrian, when she noticed that Daisy was studying her intently. "Tell me, Erika- are you hostile towards Adrian because you don't like him- or because you're upset because his attention shifted to someone else?"

Erika was visibly irritated with the scrutiny. "Whatever," she dismissed, and loped off, away from the scene. 

Daisy chuckled. "I guess now we know the answer," she muttered.

The gang turned to her, and she didn't disappoint.

"Once she begins to confront her feelings and her past, everything will be nice and peachy, hunky-dory," Daisy continued. When their looks became questioning, Daisy answered in usual fashion. "It's *in* the cards."

"Un huh.." said Auggie skeptically.

Adrian hadn't paid the least attention to the conversation, he watched as Erika left, and now appeared torn, as he turned his attention away. Impulsively, he rose, and would have left, ran after Erika, had Auggie not stopped him.

"Yo man, I wouldn't go after her if I were you."

"Why not?"

"Didn't she tell you to stay the hell away from her?"

Adrian slowly sat back down. "Good point," he admitted.

"Don't want you to lose your head, man!"

"Yeah."

But it wasn't long before he stood again, intending to run after her. "Where do you think she is?"

Shelby rolled her eyes. "Adrian, sit down."

"She just needs some time," Kat added. "Don't worry about it."

Adrian smiled weakly. If only he could.   
  
  
  


* * *

* * *

Amber sat on a chair in the infirmary, an ice pack to her cheek.

Her thoughts were relentless as they swarmed through her mind, fantasizing of vengeance, driven by her anger, by her believed injustice. 

Erika is so going to pay for this, she thought determinedly as she examined the damage to her face in a near mirror. Her cheekbone was bruised, the colour purple. It certainly wasn't flattering. Ooh, is Erika going to pay for this.

But how? the voices asked her.

Amber thought about it. Okay, so maybe physical combat isn't my best option for getting even, she thought. For revenge. God, I *hate* her! 

And Adrian.. He's going to pay, too. No one rejects me and gets away with it. And he's never even going to see it coming. 

But how? the voices repeated. Oh, how? 

An idea sprung to her mind, and she mulled over it excitedly. 

Hmmmm.. It worked the last time I had a score to settle, didn't it? But oh, will there be complications. 

Complications? a voice rang in her head. Complications?! Bah! Amber, reality check, this is what you do best.

Aside from fucking, you mean, she thought in response.

Well yeah, aside from that. 

Unable to suppress it, Amber cackled evilly as she thought of the destruction she could and would, bring. 

Brace yourselves, dear cliffhangers, do I have something in store for you.


	39. Score to Settle part 2

Author's Note: Oooh, and the melodrama continues! This is one craaazy chapter. I hope y'all enjoy it! Thanks for consistent reviewing, luv y'all. =) This chapter might not be very realistic (I'm not really sure about some of the facts I throw around in it), but it's very soap-opera-esque. And very long! Enjoy.. -jazz

  
  


* * *

Adrian heard her footsteps approaching, knew who it would be. He turned to find Erika, standing beside him, an envelope in her hands. 

"You've got to stop sending me this shit," Erika told him, chucking the letter at his feet. 

He was seated on the grass floor, leaning against an oak, sketchbook in hand. He glanced up to meet her gaze. "I can't."

Erika threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. "Why, Adrian? Why do you bother?"

"I think you know the answer," he replied, knowing full well that he'd answered that particular question more than enough times.

"Adrian.." Erika began again, and she opened her mouth to speak, but as if deciding against it, she merely turned away, and began striding away.

Adrian picked up the letter at his feet. He could only be rejected so many times. His resolve growing weaker, his patience diminishing. He removed his artwork from the envelope, and stared at it as absently as Erika walked away, without a glimpse back at him. Was he truly wasting his time on her? He couldn't help but wonder. 

  
  
  
  


* * *

Amber waited. Waited until her prey came to her. She knew that he would. He had no choice in the matter. 

She heard his footsteps approaching nearer, and he came into view, holding a clipboard and pen.

And it will begin, Amber thought evilly. Oh, it will begin.

She was in the infirmary still, still holding an ice pack to her bruised cheek. Her bruised cheek that would not go unjustified, she decided. 

"Amber.." Peter began, and pulled up a chair across from Amber.

"Peter," Amber returned.

Peter glanced at his clipboard. "So.. you want to tell me in your own words what happened?"

Amber took a deep breath, and repressed a smile. As dramatically as she could manage, she recounted a tale. "It was Erika. It was all Erika. The crazy bitch. I didn't even say anything to her and the next thing I know, I'm thrown against the wall, and I didn't even do anything." Amber demonstrated with the fluid movements of her hands, almost theatrical in her animation. "She starts punching me like I'm some kind of punching bag! Then, I'm thrown against the ground, and she's tackling me, and the next thing I know, she has me in a headlock. All the while, no one even offers me help. And then I hear her cackling, like the frigging wicked witch of the west. She's evil, I swear. And then.." Amber continued, conjuring fake crocodile tears, "her fingers are around my neck. I thought I was going to die, I swear."

Peter kept an impassive face as he listened. "Okay.. Anything else?"

Fake tears continued to stream down her cheeks. "And then she says, next time, don't expect any mercy. She's going to kill me, Peter!"

Peter looked down at his clipboard, and released an inaudible sigh. "I see," he said.

  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  


Erika wasn't surprised to hear that Peter wanted her in his office pronto. She made her way down, striding thoroughly unconcerned. 

She opened the door to his office, not bothering to knock before she entered. In the room, Peter was behind his desk, clipboard in hand. "Erika," he announced as she entered. 

She knew the routine. She took the chair before his desk, and slumped into it. "Un huh?" she responded.

Peter rested his hands on his desk, meeting her eye level. "You want to tell me your side of the incident this morning?"

"What the hell does it matter?"

"Erika," he warned. 

"Not really," she admitted.

"And why is that?" he questioned.

"What is there to it? Amber made a smart ass comment.." Seeing the look Peter was giving her, she continued. "What?"

"Did juvie do nothing for you?" Anger, and exasperation inflected his voice. 

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not in juvie anymore."

"Erika, are you going to tell me your side or not? Because if you don't, I'm going to have to take Amber's account of things."

Erika raised her eyes, intrigued. "And what was 'her account'?"

"She claims that you were trying to kill her." 

Erika couldn't help but laugh aloud. "That bitch.. I so was not trying to kill her. Just shake up her a little bit, that's fucking all."

"Watch your language," he warned, and subsequently glanced down at his clipboard. "And is it true that she was thrown against the wall? That you vowed, next time to have 'no mercy'?" 

Erika found that she couldn't stop laughing, Peter watching her, unimpressed.

"Erika, this is not looking good for you."

Realizing that she was treading in hot water, Erika composed herself, and decided she had to do something to defend herself. "I didn't even start the fight. Amber swung at me, but it never actually hit me, pathetic really. And.. she made a really smart ass comment."

"So did you, I hear."

"Yeah, well what can you do."

Peter sat back in his chair, as he continued down the listed description on his clipboard. "And is it true that you had your fingers around her neck?"

"Now that is fiction. My fingers were not *around* her neck. I did no such fucking thing." 

"Language, Erika. That just earned you a week of dishwashing duty."

Erika gave him a look. "Wonderful," she replied sarcastically.

Peter set down his clipboard. "Erika.. What am I going to do with you? Do you want to go back to juvie?"

"Like I care."

"Well, think about it, will you? And you'll have plenty of time to do so, because as of now, I've placed you on shuns for two weeks."

Erika shrugged. "Screw it."

"You're lucky it's not for a month," Peter continued. "Or you would have missed the morp."

"Like I care."

  
  


* * *

The Cliffhanger boys were lounging in their respective dorm, when an intruder burst the door open.

It proved to be Amber, wearing a mischievous smile, swinging her hips as she made her way towards... Ezra. 

All eyes were on Amber as she stood before Ezra and grinned at him. "Hi Ezra." 

Ezra realized she was talking to him. Was he dreaming? "Hiiiii." he managed.Amber tossed the book in his hands aside, and grabbed his hand. "Let's go have some fun," she asserted, dragging him off his bunk, with Ezra barely having time to assess what exactly was going on. 

Auggie couldn't help but laugh as he called after them, "Whew! Have fun E-Z!"

Amber dragged Ezra out of the dorm, shutting the door behind them. "Where are we going?" he asked her.

She flashed a flirtatious smile. "The janitor's shed."

"Whoa.. What's going on?"

Amber shoved him through the door to the janitor's shed. "Well I need to fuck somebody, don't I?"

"Oh.. Alright."

Amber shut the door behind them. Flashing a seductive smile at him, Amber aggressively pressed him up against the wall to the confined space, and began kissing him. 

She ran her hands through his hair, and subsequently whispered in his ear. 

"You can also tell me something."

"I can?"

"Yeah," Amber continued. "I need you to tell me how I can get the janitor's closet open."

"Oh, easy," Ezra replied. "I can show you later, though."

"Now is fine for me."

Ezra furrowed his brows. "Ooohkay," he responded, and once she removed his hands from him, they made their way towards the closet. 

"See, look," said Ezra, demonstrating how to pick the lock.

The closet sprung open. Amber's face alighted with a mischievous smile.

"Fabulous," she responded, turning back to Ezra. She pulled him closer by his shirt. "Can we resume later, Ezzie boy? I have some business to attend to."

  
  
  
  


-------------

  
  


Auggie could barely suppress his laughter as Ezra re-entered the dorm room, looking both dazed and dishevelled. "What was that about, E-Z?" he asked.

"I have no idea," Ezra replied simply.

"Probably just Amber rebounding from Adrian here," Auggie continued.

Ezra blinked. Was that all it was? "I'd like to think it was more than that." 

"C'mon, like what."

"I don't know.." Ezra admitted. "But I sure as hell ain't complaining."

"It's about time you got a girl.. Even if it is Amber." 

Adrian though he'd never been more relieved. "Glad she's over me, finally. I was beginning to think she was stuck on tormenting me forever."

* * *

With complete access to the janitor's closet, all of the chemicals, all of the supplies she'd need, Amber cackled evilly. 

Seducing Ezra was indeed a good idea, a voice in her head informed her.

The pitiful creature.. He was bound to fall for it.

Amber held her precious materials in her hands. Revenge is mine, she thought maliciously. Revenge is all mine for the taking. 

Adrian thinks he can dump me? Wrong. I warned him.. Oh did I warn him. He didn't listen. His loss. 

And now he will suffer the consequences. 

Amber cackled evilly again. Oh, she thought, will he ever suffer the consequences.

  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  


Erika sat among one of the desks in the detention room. It was a room familiar to her, she'd been there enough times to know it intimately. 

There was only one other person occupying the room, aside from the surveilling counsellor who watched them intently. 

The other occupant sat somewhere behind her, and she could hear every stroke of his pencil scratching the paper on which he wrote.

Peter wanted her to think, she mused. About what?

She, herself was supposed to be writing. Supposed to be writing some kind of essay or another, she couldn't be sure, she hadn't paid all that much attention when they'd assigned her work.

Unconsciously, she started doodling on the edge of the lined paper. She thought of Adrian. 

Unruly raven hair, dark eyes. Chiselled features. Amazing talent.

Erika slumped back in her chair as she pondered, with naught else to do.

She couldn't decide how she felt towards Adrian. He was good-looking, talented, and for some unfathomable reason, was taken by her. She didn't understand it. She pushed him away, hadn't stopped pushing him away. And still he didn't give up when she told him to fuck off. 

He was relentless. 

Why?

Erika shook her head as she pondered it. She didn't know. 

Should I? she wondered to herself, tapping the pencil entwined in her fingers absently on her desk. Should I give him a chance?

She thought of all the drawings he'd sent her, his version of poetry, she decided.

Erika replayed one of their recent conversations in her head. 

  
  


'Did it ever occur to you, ever, that maybe I like you for you?

..That for some strange reason I'm drawn to you for who you are.

I just- I can feel it in my gut.'

  
  


She suppressed tears as she reminisced. She knew that she was being unfair to him. And sitting in the detention room with nothing to do but think, she suddenly realized that she couldn't deny her emotions forever.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

Jeff glanced around the room. 

His students were seated at the tables, some yawning, some drumming their fingers, waiting as he took attendance.

Shelby glanced at her watch, bored. Juliette was studying her nails for imperfections, and would every couple seconds remove her nail file from her pocket. 

He took another long look around the room. 

"Where's Amber?" he asked the students.

They, too, looked around. His only response was a wave of shrugs.

  
  
  
  


* * *

No one could have guessed where Amber truly was. Rubbing alcohol, a set of matches in tow, that she had retrieved from the janitor's closet, she made her way towards the Cliffhanger boys dorm. 

Amber looked around as she walked, as she opened the door, assuring no one would see her. 

The boys dorm was empty. So far, so good. 

She knew which bunk was Adrian's. Unfortunately for him, she thought evilly.

She set down her things, and tossed the lid of the rubbing alcohol. She poured it over his bunk, and removed a portfolio beside it.

She opened it, and spread it out on his bunk.

Inside lay his artwork, oh his precious artwork. She poured it over his drawings, over his many sketchbooks. Over the portrait of Erika that he'd drawn for her long ago.

I will watch that burst into flame, she decided. Oh, will that be a miraculous sight.

Say goodbye, Adrian. Say goodbye to your things forever.

She spread the rubbing alcohol to the rest of the cabin, cackling evilly. 

Oh, Ezra, she thought, your gullibility cost you your dorm. 

Once the bottle was empty, there was only one thing left to do.

She reached for the matches, removed one, and lit it. 

Sayonara, boys dorm, she thought as she tossed it onto Adrian's portfolio of art, and it ignited into flame. 

Amber left the empty bottle there, but kept the matches. 

Satisfied as she watched the fire rapidly spread, Amber quietly exited, closing the door behind her, a smug smile on her face.

  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  


It burned. The boys dorm burned incessantly. The fire ate at everything. 

It burned until nothing remained.

* * *

Some time later...   
  


Shelby thought she'd die from boredom, sitting in class, half-listening to Jeff blabbing on about something or other. Was he talking about the second world war? The American Revolution? She couldn't be sure. The only thing she was sure of now, the only thing occupying her mind was that in mere minutes, the class would be over and she'd be able to phone Scott.

Suddenly, she wrinkled her nose, and furrowed her brows in confusion when she registered what smell it was that crossed her nose.

Shelby nudged Daisy, who was seated beside her. "Do you smell smoke?" she asked quietly.

Daisy sniffed the air, and subsequently turned to Shelby. "Yeah."

Sitting beside the two, Ezra happened to overhear. "So do I," he added.

Determined that she was not crazy, Shelby rose from her seat, and despite Jeff's calling her to sit back down, Shelby made her way to the window, and forced the closed curtains open. 

Her jaw dropped, her mouth agape. 

"Look!!" she shouted, pointed towards the window.

The students crowded around the window, and gasped in horror.

The window overlooked many of the dorms, and one of them was in flames.

"Oh my god!"

Chaos overturned the room. The students darted out of the classroom, much to Jeff's disapproval, rushing outside.

  
  


* * *

"Erika."

Erika lifted her eyes to the detention teacher. "Yes?"

"Aren't you supposed to be working?"

Erika's eyes drifted disinterestedly. She really didn't give a damn. 

Her gaze travelled to the windows. She watched as the students were crowded outside, enjoying fresh air, doing whatever.. But then she caught sight of it, and her heart nearly stopped.

The boys dorm was in flames. 

"Oh my god," she thought aloud, and rose from her assigned desk, and rushed out of the detention room, not in the least caring that the detention teacher was running after her, protesting her exit. 

Erika's heart was racing. 

* * *

There was already a crowd of students gathered when Erika, and the Cliffhangers reached the flaming dorm. 

Smoke was everywhere, and tainted the air.

Erika watched in helplessness as it burned, and it was so destructed already, so damaged that nothing could possibly be done to salvage it. It was gone.

But nothing could have prepared her for the next moment, as she watched in absolute horror as she watched Adrian dart inside.

Impulsively, she darted in after him.

Once inside, her vision was clouded by the smoke. 

"Adrian!" she called into the smoke.

"Erika?"

His voice was not too far away.

"What the hell are you doing, get out of here!" she shouted, searching in the smoke for him.

She caught sight of him, beside what was, she presumed, once his bunk. It was now all flame.

"My artwork.." he lamented.

"Adrian," she asserted, and grabbed his arm. He looked at her, surprised.

Erika led him outside, in a fit of coughs.

Once in an area of clear breathing, Adrian collapsed onto the grassy floor of the field, a pained expression on his visage. 

Erika sat down beside him. "It's alright."

He shook his head, holding her gaze. "It's not. Do you know what I lost? Do you *know* what I lost? The only picture I had of my parents. Not to mention my artwork, all of it. The artwork makes the artist. Now I'm.. nothing." 

"Not to me," Erika told him, and clasped his hands in hers.

Adrian watched her, silent, observing, his eyes never leaving hers. He didn't know what had fuelled her change of heart, but there was genuine compassion in her eyes.

And to his utmost surprise, Erika placed her hands on his face and kissed him.

  
  


* * *

later..   
  


The students had watched as the fire fighters had come to Horizon and eventually extinguished the ball of flame that was the Cliffhanger boys dorm.

All that remained now, were unanswered questions.

"Dude, what just happened?" Auggie wondered aloud.

"We don't know," Sophie replied, as much mystified as everyone else. 

"It had to have been intentionally set," said Shelby. "There's no way it could have just set fire without some kind of trigger."

"But it couldn't have been one of the students," Kat figured, "we were all in class when it was started."

"Unless one of us was missing," Daisy corrected her.

"But why would anyone set fire to the boys dorm?" Juliette questioned.

"That's a good question," said Sophie. 

"Go back to your schedules, guys," Peter asserted. "Sophie and I are going to try and sort this out."

  
  
  
  


* * *

Shelby was in the main office, the telephone to her ear, the telephone cord wrapped around her fingers, she anxiously waiting. 

"Hello?"

Shelby smiled when she heard his voice on the other end. "Hey, Scott. You're not going to believe this."

"Believe what?"

Shelby smiled again, wondering what his reaction might be to Horizon's latest development.

  
  


* * *

Sophie and Peter sat across from each other in the serenity of his office. 

"I don't know. I just don't know, Soph."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Sophie acknowledged, nodding in agreement. 

Peter's gaze was vacant. "The only thing that's bothering me, is that this bears a striking similarity to Amber's pre-Horizon days." 

Sophie met Peter's gaze, "Oh, that's right," she recalled. "Didn't she land here for trying to set her neighbour's house on fire when their son ignored her?"

"Yeah," said Peter. "That's exactly it. It just, doesn't make sense though. Why would she want to burn down the Cliffhanger boys dorm? And how would she get the materials to do it? It doesn't make sense to me Soph." 

Sophie took Peter's hand in her own. "Me neither." 

  
  
  
  


* * *

later..   
  
  
  


Peter gathered the Cliffhangers in the main lodge, believing it to be a good time for a group session.

"As you all know," Peter began, "the Cliffhanger boys dorm was burned, with irreparable damage."

"Where are we gonna stay?" Auggie questioned immediately. 

"In the main lodge.." Sophie responded.

"In any case," Peter continued, "we have reason to believe it wasn't accidental."

Juliette's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

Amber among them, she suddenly burst into a fit of laughing, and cackled uncontrollably. "Oh no, it wasn't accidental," she reaffirmed them. 

Peter turned to Amber. "Amber?"

Amber's only response was her cackling evilly.

Kat, who was seated beside Amber in group, slowly shifted her chair away from the cackling Amber, a side of her she'd never seen, and was sure she didn't want to see again.

"If you know anything," said Peter, "we'd advise you to tell us."

Amber consumed the Cliffhangers' full attention, as she rose from her chair, cackling uncontrollably, and suddenly passed out onto the floor.

"Ummm Peter," Ezra announced. 

"Yes, Ezra?"

"I think it was her," he said, indicating Amber, lying on the room floor, unmoving."And why is that?" Peter questioned.

"I kind of.." Ezra began hesitantly, "..helped her into the janitor's closet yesterday. I didn't know that she was going to do anything.."

"You did what?!" said Sophie incredulously. 

Peter sighed. As far as he was concerned, the mystery was solved, the revelation had come. "Okay, it's alright. We'll talk with her.. when she wakes up."


	40. Score to Settle part 3

Author's Note: Long time no chapter, I know. But hopefully it was worth the wait! It's amazingly long, the longest of my chapters yet! But even better, this is not just a melodrama story anymore, but a crazy psychodrama one.. Trust me.. This is probably the craziest of my chapters yet. Y'all reviewers wanted Amber.. Well here you are! This chapter wasn't in my original plan for this story, but some of you requested more Amber, and I thought.. That isn't a bad idea! This chapter was really fun to plot out.. It's absolutely insane.. You'll see what I mean ;)

so thanks for reviewing, and here it is! Enjoy. :)

  
  


* * *

  
  


Peter sat behind his desk, in his office, alone. 

What am I going to do with her? he wondered dismally. Juvie's a definite contender.. Her father definitely won't be pleased with me, but that doesn't matter now. She destroyed property to an irreparable degree, and she will have to deal with the consequences. It doesn't matter who her father is. She can't stay here. 

He drummed his fingers against his desk absently, when a discreet rap at his door interrupted his train of thought.

"Come in," he said.

The door was slow to open as Amber entered the room.

"Amber," Peter addressed, motioning for her to sit down. "Feeling better?"

Amber seated herself, scanning his office with shifty eyes. "Uh, yeah."

"Good," he said simply. 

  
  
  
  


Amber could barely contain herself seated in Peter's office, before his desk. Her feet shuffled under her chair nervously, but she was careful to betray no emotion in her voice or her face.

She'd racked her brain for the entire time in coming to his office. Only when she had awakened in the infirmary had she realized that during group that day, she'd lost control. One of 'them', one of her 'sides' had taken over, and had made her case look suspicious, and under the influence that she was under, she'd let it happen. 

She cursed herself again for allowing it to happen.

The voices in her head were speaking all at once, and she didn't try to make sense of any of it. If she were to get away with her plan, she knew, it would require all of her concentration, all of her attention. 

This was her only chance. 

She looked over at Peter over his desk, who studied her curiously. "If you know anything about the fire in the boys dorm," he said, "I'd advise you to tell me."

Amber gave Peter a look. A practised look. "What makes you think I know *anything*?"

She was pleased with herself to hear that her voice didn't falter, that to her, she sounded convincing. 

Obviously, the voices in her head were pleased with her too, but Amber didn't dare listen. She had to concentrate on the task at hand.

"In group today.."

Amber screwed up her face in a look of confusion. "We had group today?" she questioned, not letting her eyes waver from her headmaster. Lies are always more convincing when they are said eye to eye, she knew. 

Although pleased with her performance thus far, Amber couldn't discern what her headmaster was thinking. She couldn't tell if he bought her story or not, his face remained impassive, as though it were carved out of marble. "Amber, Ezra let me know about you and the janitor's closet."

Amber suppressed a smile. If he bought her proceeding words, she'd laugh about it later for an eternity. 

Damn girl, one of her voices sounded, echoing off of the walls in her head, you are brilliant! 

And the best part of it was, it was partially true!

Damn I'm brilliant, she thought to herself.

Amber emoted what she'd call a blank stare. "So what, you're going to punish me for getting high?"

For a moment, Peter didn't say anything. 

  
  


What on earth? Peter wondered. An alibi?

He scrutinized her face, and no emotion stirred at the surface that he could tell.

It was strange. He'd developed a knack for detecting lies, but his subjects weren't typically staring him directly eye-to-eye, as if in challenge. His subjects weren't typically stone-still, their words seamless, without a trace of a stutter, without a single misstep. 

He couldn't tell if she was lying. He couldn't tell at all, and the prospect scared him. 

He decided not to directly confront her. Not yet. 

"Amber," Peter began, "during group, you gave some indication that you knew about the fire."

With disturbing ease, Amber smirked at her headmaster, her eyes portraying slight amusement. "You should probably disregard anything I said," she stated evenly. "I was not on this planet, I was pretty fricking high, Peter." 

Peter maintained her gaze, watching her react to his words. "So you claim that you had Ezra help you into the Janitor's closet so you could get high?"

Amber shifted back into her seat, as if in complete ease. "Why else would I want access? I mean, really." As an afterthought, she added, "I'm sorry." 

"And yet you claim to know nothing of the fire?"

"Have you not listened to a word I've said?" she questioned, allowing a hint of annoyance in her voice. 

Hell, this is easier than I thought it'd be, Amber marvelled.

"I wasn't in class because I was too busy getting high," Amber continued, "I don't know anything that happened in that time span. I didn't even know there was a fire until someone told me about it later, and it was all already over." 

The truth to the matter was that after she'd finished planting the fire, she'd gone back to the open janitor's closet, huffed a couple chemicals, and wasn't entirely sure what proceeded after that, except that she'd been brought to group, where she'd subsequently passed out, and awoke in the infirmary. 

If Peter wanted a blood test, she'd gladly take one. It would only solidify her 'alibi'.

  
  


"I see," Peter said simply, still eying Amber suspiciously, but subtly. 

"Someone probably tipped over a lamp without knowing it," Amber suggested. "I don't know. Besides, why blame me? That is what you're doing, you know."

Peter was getting tired of these games. He decided to confront her words, head on. "Your past history, Amber," he said, as if to remind her. "I can't help but be more than a little bit suspicious." 

Amber all but ignored his indirect accusations. "Besides," she said, "why would I want to burn down the boys dorm? There's no motive."

Peter didn't need Amber to tell him what he already knew. "In any case, until we learn more, you're on restriction for the week for admittedly getting high while you were supposed to be in class. But I want you to take a blood test, head off to the infirmary first."

  
  


Amber couldn't help but be pleased with herself. She suppressed a grin of satisfaction in knowing that Peter couldn't punish her any more than he was doing. No one had seen her in the act, she'd made certain of it. No one could pin her down. She was a free woman. 

She rose from the chair and turned towards the door to exit, when a thought occurred to her. 

You can get out of even this punishment, a voice told her. 

As soon as she heard it, she knew exactly what the voice meant. 

Amber slowly turned around to face Peter again. To confront him, head-on, again. "Do you know what my dad would say if he heard I was being put on shuns?"

Peter didn't bother trying to conceal the annoyance in his voice. His prime suspect, his only suspect, suddenly had an unquestionable alibi, and now she was testing him further. "Amber, get to the infirmary."

  
  
  
  


* * *

As soon as Amber finished giving a sample of her blood for the blood test, she headed off to the girl's dorm. 

In the outdoors, the free, breezy outdoors, she couldn't suppress that satisfied grin she'd hidden for what had seemed an eternity.

Bliss, she thought to herself. I pulled it off. 

Not only is Adrian's stuff gone, forever, Erika's on shuns, and Adrian has hopefully given up on Erika! And if he hasn't yet, it's about damn time!

Oh, perfection, she cackled to herself.

Damn, I'm good. 

  
  


She was so engrossed with her thoughts, with the voices that rang in her head, that she didn't notice the hostile stares that her presence evoked when she entered her respective dorm. 

But her world became shatteringly real when the voice, the one voice that sounded to her like nails against a chalk board, spoke.

"So... When are you being sent off to juvie?"

The casualness of Erika's voice sent her temperature boiling. How dare she! Amber thought to herself.

Despite that she knew Erika was taller, and more physically capable than her, and very able to beat her to a pulp, Amber sent a hostile glare of her own Erika's way. 

"Please.. For what?"

"For burning down the fucking boys dorm!" Erika exclaimed. Erika had been lounging on her bunk, but now, she was on her feet. "They have to stay in the main lodge because of you.""I'm not going anywhere," Amber said haughtily. "And I didn't do anything." 

"Adrian lost everything he fucking had, because you couldn't handle that he didn't want to screw around with you anymore."

Amber spoke through a clenched jaw. "I didn't do anything," she said as evenly as she could. Although she was intimidated by Erika, she would not give Erika the satisfaction of knowing such. "Excuse me," Amber continued, and made her way to the bathrooms. 

She locked the door once she reached the bathroom stalls.

Heaving suddenly, out of anger, out of trying so long to control it, Amber placed her hands on the sink to steady herself as she gazed into one of the mirrors.

Damn, she thought to herself, I'm gorgeous. 

Her gaze then shifted. Her eyes landed on a cup, in which was placed the toothbrushes of the Cliffhanger girls. Suddenly struck with an idea, Amber removed one of the toothbrushes, careful to select the right one, and suppressed the evil cackle she could feel welling inside her.

Knowing she didn't have much time, Amber dashed into one of the stalls, and leaned over the toilet. She scrubbed the bristles of the toothbrush over, and inside the toilet, cleaning it, until she believed it to be thoroughly clean.. And the toothbrush nasty. 

Quietly, she replaced the toothbrush inside the designated cup, and exited the bathroom, trying to look innocent.

  
  
  
  


* * *

later...

  
  
  
  


"What the hell happened to my toothbrush?!"

Some of the Cliffhanger girls ventured into the bathroom where Erika had suddenly exclaimed in the midst of relative quiet. 

"Whoa, Erika," Kat remarked, casting a disgusted glance towards Erika's toothbrush, the handle part of it emerald green, a shade of green that matched her eyes. It was in this manner that Amber had identified it as Erika's. 

"It smells like shit," Erika remarked. "Did someone fucking sabotage my *toothbrush*?"

Erika angrily strut into the main area of the Cliffhanger girls dorm, and looking around, cast a knowing look towards Amber. 

Amber met her gaze indifferently. 

"God, that's low," Erika muttered.

"Don't look at me," Amber whined. "You hurt my eyes."

"You make me want to puke," Erika concluded, and chucked the ruined toothbrush towards Amber before turning away. It landed in her lap, and Amber jumped as the toothbrush she'd ruined made contact with her. 

Erika shook her head, the only reason keeping her from setting Amber in her place, was knowing that she had enough punishments already. She definitely didn't need more, especially over such a petty thing.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


"Any news?" Sophie asked her fiancé, as she entered his office. 

Peter shook his head dismally. "None that's any good. The investigators can't determine the cause of the fire. There's not enough left of the dorm." 

Sophie sighed, and sat down beside him. "How did it go with Amber?" she asked.

"You wouldn't believe it, but she has an alibi."

Sophie furrowed her brows. "An alibi?"

"Yes. Unbelievable, I know."

"And no one saw *anything*, how it started, when it started?" Sophie questioned, trying to clutch at something, at anything that might help their cause.

Peter shook his head, again. "No one. It was during class. Everyone was busy. I don't know what to do. Amber could be lying through her teeth, she could be telling the truth, I honestly have no idea. But in any case, she's got a week of restriction." 

"Okay," said Sophie. "It's a start." 

"A start that doesn't lead anywhere," Peter muttered. "I really don't know what to do with her. It's hard to just dismiss considering her background, but no one seems to know anything."

Sophie clasped his hand in hers, trying to give him some kind of reassurance, even if there wasn't any. She could discern the frustration, the exasperation of the ineptitude of their investigation lined in his face. "I understand," she said simply. 

Peter met Sophie's gaze a moment, before it brightened suddenly. "You know what we need to do?" he said.

"What."

"Get away from this place, away from the drama, go away on a hike." 

Sophie smiled despite herself. "Really? You think so?"

"Get some fresh air," Peter continued, "and you know, by the time we get back, the boys dorm will have been rebuilt. Everyone will come, for some serious bonding time. It's perfect."

  
  
  
  


* * *

the next day...

  
  
  
  


The Cliffhangers had gathered to the main lodge, towing large duffles. It was anyone's guess as to how long they'd actually be out there, in the utter wilderness. 

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Peter remarked, as he slung his own camping gear onto his shoulders.

Sophie Becker stood beside him, and her presence alone calmed his nerves.

Peter couldn't help but wonder what he'd do without her. 

"Let's just get this over with," said Shelby. Needless to say, she was less than pleased about this sudden trip, one that could span any number of days.

"Alright," said Auggie, looking very ready to tackle the elements and the outdoors. "Let's do this." 

Peter looked around at his participants, assuring that they were ready. 

Juliette studied her nails intently, her trusty nailfile in her pocket. Hiking in the remote outdoors was not her idea of fun, and it showed.

Shelby looked equally disinterested, but more annoyed than anything. 

In contrast, Erika looked eager. Aside from the buddy hike back that she'd done in what had seemed ages ago, back when Scott was here still, she hadn't yet participated in one of Horizon's famous hikes. 

"Let's go," Peter asserted, leading them outside the main lodge, onto a worn, rugged path.

------------

  
  


As Peter led the gang, Erika and Adrian walked side-by-side through the forestry. 

"Adrian?" said Erika.

"Yeah?" he asked, meeting her gaze.

"Thanks," she told him, a small smile on her countenance. 

"For what?" 

"For not giving up on me," she said, and her smile broadened.

It had been too long since she'd last smiled, Adrian decided, but that only left him wondering if he'd ever even seen Erika smile before this.

When she smiled, her face was aglow. He decided that she should smile more often.

"Thank *you* for brightening my world," he replied, and clasped her hand in his.

They were, however, oblivious to Amber, glaring at them from behind, and there was heat in her gaze, like she wanted to burn a hole in their backs. 

  
  


When the hell had this happened?! Amber thought to herself miserably. 

It seems, a voice rang in her head, it seems that your little stunt brought the two together.

Amber shuddered, and wanted to puke at the sight of Erika and Adrian holding hands. Instead, she looked away.

Adrian is yours, the voice said. 

And Erika will pay for taking what's mine. 

She ran her hands through her hair dismally. 

Do not tell me that burning down the boy's dorm backfired, she thought to herself.

But oh, it did.

You brought them together.

Amber put her hands to her ears, in an attempt to block out the noise she heard, the noise only she could hear. 

It was useless. 

I had to kiss Ezra in order to set fire to the boy's dorm! she thought in disgust. And to think, in the end, it wouldn't even have any effect. 

This is not over, she thought to herself determinedly. 

  
  
  
  


---------

  
  
  
  


"God dammit, I won't be able to talk with Scott for a week!" Shelby complained to the others as they hiked.

"Sorry, Shel," said Kat sympathetically. "But think of it this way, when you get back, there'll be what, two weeks until the morp?"

This brought a smile to Shelby's face. "A week and five days," she corrected.

"Keeping track are we?" Daisy questioned.

"You're surprised?"

"No. But that's another matter entirely." 

---------------

  
  


Auggie and Juliette hiked side by side.

"Can you believe it Jules?" Auggie said to her. "We'll be out of here before you know it."

"I don't know that I want to get out of here," Juliette confessed. "I don't want to go back to my mom, my old life."

"The real world is a scary prospect, I know Jules." Auggie wrapped a protective arm around her.

Juliette looked at Auggie with a sudden hopefulness. "We'll be together, right?"

Auggie smiled. "Twig, I'd have it no other way." 

"Thanks Augusto," Juliette responded happily. 

  
  
  
  


* * *

The cliffhangers had spent the day traversing through a jungle of wilderness, hiking through paths of dense trees and steeps hills. 

Now it was night, the sky dark like ebony, and only the natural sounds of the wilderness could be heard. Leaves rustled, insects chirped, and overall, it was peaceful. 

The night sky, only visible in patches through the foliage, was clear, and adorned with aureate stars. It was more than picturesque.

But because no human noises could be heard, meant by no means that no one was awake.

  
  
  
  


Amber's eyes were alert and awake, despite that she was buried in her sleeping bag, and pretending that she was asleep. She certainly wasn't, as she watched them, their faces bathed in the moonlight, not touching but sitting beside one another.

Inside, Amber was fuming. 

  
  


  
  


"Is everyone asleep?"

"From what I can tell, yeah," Adrian responded. His hand snaked towards her and clasped her hand in his. 

Erika didn't resist when his warm hand enclosed hers. The night was cold, but at his touch, she felt warm inside. It was unlike anything she'd ever known.

Adrian didn't know who the Erika was who sat beside him. Whoever it was, it seemed as though another person had overtaken her body, and it mystified him to no end. She went from being incessantly hostile to following him in a blazing structure, and subsequently kissing him. 

He watched her, with his artist's eye. He could spend forever just looking at her, memorizing the angles of her face. The green eyes that shone in the moonlight and seemed to bore into his soul. He didn't know what love was, but he was almost certain this was somewhat like it. 

The Erika who sat beside him now, this was a softer Erika, a side of her that until just the days before he didn't know existed.

"Listen Adrian, I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked. 

Erika looked down, her gaze falling towards the forest floor. "For treating you like shit before. I'm sorry."

With his free hand, Adrian lifted her chin to meet his gaze. "Hey," he said softly, "it's alright."

Adrian brushed away a lock of her blond hair that had strayed behind her ear, and removed his hand. He found that he couldn't tear his eyes away from her.. She was too beautiful, in her own way.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"From what?"

"The fire."

Adrian tensed, as he thought of the artwork he'd lost. He'd brought everything he had to Horizon when he came, every last art piece. Art was personal, he'd poured himself into his drawings, his paintings.. And now it was all gone. All of his possessions were gone. "I guess I'll have to be," he said eventually. "It's not like I can do anything about it."

"I wish I could do something." 

Adrian smiled weakly. "You're doing a lot just right now, just being here."

Erika returned his weak smile, and with their hands conjoined, brushed her thumb over his knuckles, as if in reassurance, in comfort.

And then there was silence, no words needed. The locked gazes, locked hands.. It was serenity. 

"We should get to bed," Adrian said eventually. 

"I know."

  
  


And with that, they made their way towards their sleeping bags, tip-toeing quietly so as not to awaken anyone, not knowing that there was already someone wide awake, watching their every movement with restless alertness. 

Oblivious, Erika and Adrian climbed into their respective sleeping bags, which sat side-by-side. 

Adrian couldn't help but marvel at the beauty that surrounded him. The aureate stars and moon, shining in the midst of forest foliage, and of course the beauty that lay beside him in the sleeping bag next to his.

Happy, and at peace with himself and his surroundings, Adrian drifted off to sleep.

  
  
  
  


* * *

She'd seen it. She'd seen their every movement of every moment. 

She hadn't been close enough to hear their words, but from what she saw, it was enough to get her blood boiling. 

Amber wanted to explode. 

She turned over in her sleeping bag. But it was over now. For now.

Her stomach churned when she realized that their little romance sessions probably weren't going to cease. She'd have to witness the clasping of hands and midnight talks again.. And probably again and again.

God, what am I going to do with myself? she thought miserably, closing her eyes. I can't sit through that again.

Get rid of them. 

Amber had heard the voice. It sounded in her head again, a large, echoed voice that rang in her mind.

Get rid of them.

Amber shook her head as she thought about it. How?

The matches.. The matches..

Her eyes snapped open in realization. Her fingers seemed to have a life of their own as they made their way towards her pack, located beside her sleeping bag. 

Her fingers slid the zipper, and reached inside the bag, searching for them.

Finally, she located them, and her fingers closed around the package.

The matches.

Setting fire to the boy's dorm had only required one of the matches, and she'd kept the package. 

Amber brought the matches close to her, to study them with what light the moon filtered.

I could do it, she thought. I could use the last of these things.. It's not like it wouldn't be a worthy cause.

Do it. 

Amber thought for a moment. She'd get caught, she decided. 

What the hell does it matter if you're caught? Imagine it, Amber. *Them*, enveloped in fire.

Amber shifted in her sleeping bag as she thought about it. It would be a cremation. No one will stop me. 

Amber looked at the matches, mesmerized. It's about time I put you guys to some real use, she whispered to the matches, as though they were living things.

But are they asleep? she wondered. 

  
  


------------------

  
  


Time passed at seemingly sloth's pace, as Amber waited. She didn't have the slightest clue how long she'd lied there, just waiting for the right moment, or what time it was.

But does it matter, really? she wondered. Now is the time. 

Amber quietly crawled out of her sleeping bag, matches tucked away in her hand. 

Moving towards the two, she didn't stop to think about what she was about to do. Didn't know how she was going to do it. All she knew was that Adrian and Erika were vulnerable, and that she had matches. It was time for her to fully extract her revenge. 

Adrian will think twice about dumping me again, she thought bitterly.

Finally, she stood over the two. 

It is said that in our sleep, we are more vulnerable, more innocent. Amber watched their peaceful expressions with heaved annoyance. 

Not thinking, Amber removed a matched from the pack.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Erika stirred in her sleep as she heard footsteps approach. Her eyes opened slowly as she registered another noise, one loud enough to wake her. 

The ignition of fire. 

Her eyes snapped open. It was then that she assessed fire on Adrian's sleeping bag, Amber standing over them with another match lit.

"Adrian!" Erika cried, shaking him awake.

  
  


Amber's heart nearly stopped as she saw Erika awaken. Without a second thought, she fled, darted from the scene of her crime.

Erika was as equally quick. Seeing that Adrian was awake and able to take care of himself, she didn't just watch as Amber ran. Erika followed her.

  
  
  
  


Amber ran into the dense forest, where she hoped no one could follow her. Her match was still alight, guiding her.

She ran like she'd never run before. She ran for her life. 

Risking a look back, Amber saw that things were getting more complicated by the second. Erika was after her, and Erika was a former track star. 

Despite this, it didn't deter Amber's reckless determination.

  
  
  
  


When Erika ran into the forest after Amber, she found that it would be harder than she thought. She could barely see anything, could barely discern tree branches that lay across her path, obstacles in her way. 

No stray ray of moonlight was in that forest. The foliage covered the sky completely. 

The only way she was even able to follow Amber, was due to the brightness of light, moving quickly. Erika merely followed the lit match, well ahead of her.

Erika just ran. She didn't know where the hell she was going, but like hell she was going to let Amber get away. Erika wanted Amber to deal with her wrath, before Amber would have to deal with Peter's.

This was personal. 

Erika ran breathlessly. A couple times she thought she'd lost sight of the light, but it would reappear seconds later.

She knew she was drawing closer. Erika could now discern Amber's footsteps, and the light was growing brighter. With renewed determination, Erika didn't let her pace slow.

She had been running at breakneck speed, but suddenly halted. The light was gone. All there was, was the darkness, the ebony surrounding her. Erika looked around in desperation. She couldn't have had lost Amber! She had been so close.

Erika cursed herself, but suddenly wondered where she was.. Undoubtedly deep in the forest, but it was impossible to know....

All train of thought was shattered when she felt a huge blow across the back of her head. A strike with the fortitude of a ton of bricks.

Erika collapsed onto the ground.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Amber smirked, pleased with herself. She set down the thick, heavy tree branch that she had found on the forest floor moments before. The same broken branch she'd used to strike Erika across the back of her head, like a batter would a baseball..

She'd snuck up on Erika behind her, knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to outrun her. So instead, she cheated. 

And damn, did it work. 

Now it was over, she decided, letting the branch drop to the ground. My pursuer is no more. 

Amber glanced at Erika, who was barely holding herself together, and noted the blood on the back of her head. 

Amber knew how to swing a baseball bat. A branch was no different. 

Satisfied, Amber fled, again, the scene of her own crime.

Struggling to get up, her vision fuzzy, blood coming from an opening in her head, Erika tried to pull herself together, and could only watch as Amber fled. 

Steadying herself on her feet the best she could, Erika put one foot in front of the other. 

She could barely see, but the sound of Amber's footsteps were still audible, albeit barely. Blindly, she followed them, stumbling on the way. 

Erika was not yet ready to give up.

Though her head throbbed with pain unlike any she'd ever known before, Erika found it inside herself to continue on. Every step was a struggle, every step was agony, but she gave it everything she had. 

  
  
  
  


Thoroughly out of breath, Amber sat down on the forest floor. There wasn't any place left to go, either, so it made sense. A steep cliff lined with haphazard trees, and nature's follies was mere feet away. 

A smile formed on her lips, despite that her breathing was rugged and heavy.

She never even saw it coming, Amber reminisced, cackling.

What are you going to do now? one of the voices asked her.

I don't know, she thought in response.

You have to do something.

Like what? Amber questioned.

Something.

Amber rolled her eyes. Sometimes the voices in her head annoyed her.

Tell me something I don't know, she thought in response.

Amber's breathing steadied. It had been a couple minutes since she'd been running like a madman, but still she was tired. More than tired, exhausted. 

The only thing she could be thankful for was that at least now, Erika wasn't pursuing her anymore. Erika was long gone, she thought maliciously. 

  
  


Or so she thought. 

Thinking she'd rid herself of Erika, she didn't expect it when suddenly she saw her, emerging from the trees.

Amber's heart nearly stopped. 

Instinctively, Amber scanned the forest floor, and picked up a heavy enough, broken branch to arm herself with. 

Amber rose tentatively, watching as Erika drew closer to her. 

  
  


They were mere feet apart. 

Amber swung the branch wildly, if only to prevent Erika from drawing any closer.

But like a football player, Erika rammed into Amber, tackling her to the ground with all her might, with every ounce of strength that she possessed.

Thrown backwards, suddenly Amber was scared. Death could be nearby.. Literally, as she thought about the steep cliff that led to oblivion, mere feet away.

Amber looked into Erika's determined eyes. "What are you going to do, kill me?"

Erika didn't know. "You tried to kill Adrian, crazy bitch," she said.

"He would have deserved it," Amber replied cooly. Her grip tightened around the branch, miraculously still in her grasp. "Just like you deserve this."

It was like a repeat performance. Amber whacked Erika over the head with the branch with all the might she could manage. 

Truly dazed, Erika's grip on Amber loosened. She felt like she was going to pass out.

The pain was unimaginable. 

Although the thought of passing out, freeing herself of pain momentarily was incredibly tempting, Erika fought it. She couldn't pass out.. Not now. 

  
  


Cackling, Amber slipped away from Erika. Dropping the stick, Amber stopped to admire her handiwork. Erika was barely conscious.

Grinning, Amber took Erika's hands, and dragged her limp body a few feet.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Erika managed. 

"I have to get rid of you somehow," Amber replied, smiling. "This way looks more painful, which is all for the better. Sweet dreams, sweetheart."

And with that Erika suddenly realized she was against a cliff. Life or death.

"I won't be sleeping for a long while," Erika retorted.

With a swift kick that required all of her will and energy, Erika sent Amber toppling over.

Amber lost her balance, but managed to hold on, as the steep cliff lay just beneath her.

Erika turned to Amber, who was hanging on to her life by the threshold.

"It's amazing how fast the tables can turn, isn't it?"

With a terrified scream, Amber's grip failed her.

Erika, exhausted, allowed herself to pass out.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


Flashlights shine in the darkness of night in the dense forest. Taking place is a search for Amber and Erika. 

Adrian flashes his light frantically around. Where in the hell was Erika?

It is so dark. The darkness reigns. 

On a whim, Adrian ventures further than he'd been told to go, only to suddenly come across Erika's unconscious body.

His insides grow cold at seeing the sight of her limp form in the light of his flashlight.


	41. Unanticipated

Author's Note: Thanks for reviewing, y'all. There's not much to say about this chapter, it pretty much speaks for itself. Just so y'all know, after this chapter, I only have one more planned. Amazingly, this seemingly endless soap opera of a story will finally draw to an end! It's crazy, I originally only planned for seven chapters. Now I have 41! I'm not really sure how that happened, exactly.. ;) I might write an epilogue.. But I'll decide when I get there. 

So that's pretty much it.. Enjoy! -luv, Jazz

  
  
  
  


* * *

Adrian entered the infirmary room, and closed the door behind him lightly. 

Only a day had passed since he'd last discovered Erika's limp body in the light of his flashlight, in the search for her and Amber, both of whom had merely run of into the darkness of night. 

But once they'd discovered both bodies.. They'd headed immediately back to Horizon. There hadn't been another option.

  
  


Adrian brought a chair up next to the infirmary bed.

She was peacefully asleep, breathing deeply.

Adrian almost didn't know what to do. He didn't want to wake her, but he desperately wanted to talk with her. He needed to talk with her.

Yesterday had been ceaselessly crazy.. One thing, right on top of the other. When it seemed things could get no worse.. Suddenly it did. And yet it made sense to no one.. No one understood it fully. 

Only Erika.

Her blond hair was loose, and sprawled over the pillow under her head. 

He would have painted the scene, if he could have. The peacefulness of sleep, eyes closed that held so many mysteries.. 

Delicately, he reached out and brushed a lock of her hair out of her face.

Even in sleep, she was beautiful. A kind of beauty that was solely her own.

At his touch, Erika stirred in her sleep. Her eyes opened slowly, her green-eyed gaze landing on Adrian. 

"Hey," he said.

"Hey Adrian," she replied. Her gaze drifted slowly, suddenly assessing her surroundings. She blinked, and suddenly bolted upright. 

"Where.. where the hell am I?"

"Relax," Adrian said soothingly, taking her hand in his own. "You're in the infirmary. How are you feeling?"

Erika eased slowly, and sank back down into the infirmary bed. "The pain is unbelievable.." she said. "But I'll survive."

Their gazes were locked, when Adrian looked away. 

"They found Amber's body," he said grimly.

Erika's eyes widened.. Suddenly reminiscing, the memories came flooding back. 

She'd never forget the look on Amber's face before she fell...

She'd never forget looking into the darkness, seeing only ebony. She'd never forget the darkness.. It was impenetrable, and could have swallowed her whole. 

"Oh my god.." Erika assessed. "That's right. How.. is she?"

It was a moment before Adrian answered. He knew that it was going to be hard to say. He just hadn't realized just *how* hard until he was there, her eyes questioning, anxious to know.

Finally, he met her gaze. 

"She's dead, Erika."

Erika's grip on Adrian's hand slackened. She fell back onto the headboard of the infirmary bed. "Oh my god.. Oh my fucking god.." she murmured to herself. "I've turned into my father.." Suddenly turning to Adrian, there was fear in her eyes. Genuine fear. "What's going to happen?"

Adrian shook his head, and looked away. "I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen. But it's going to be alright."

"I fucking killed a girl, Adrian," Erika asserted. Shaking her head, a stray tear ran down her cheek. "I doubt it'll be alright. You can't imagine how this feels." 

Adrian nodded grimly. "You're right, I can't." 

"As obnoxious as she was.. I ended someone's life, Adrian. Even though it was self-defence.. I killed a girl."

Adrian didn't know what to say. "Yeah," he managed. "By the way," he continued, placing an envelope in front of Erika, "you uh, got a letter. Thought you might want to see it."

Erika took it in her hands, a welcome distraction from the disquieting revelation. "From my father..!" she said. "Yeah, I'm glad you brought this to me. Thanks Adrian."

Thought she was sincere, Adrian could hear a hint of mixed emotions in her voice. She was scared, and he knew it.

"No problem."

Ripping open the envelope, Erika dared to meet his gaze. "His last letters were pretty hopeful," she told him. "He's been sending them almost daily."

Erika pulled the letter from the envelope, and unfolded the letter. 

Adrian shuffled his feet anxiously as she read. 

Once done reading the letter, Erika set it aside, and subsequently drew her knees close to her body, burying her face in her hands. 

Adrian was almost afraid to ask. "What does it say?"

Erika lifted her tear-streaked face momentarily, handed the letter to him. "Read it."

Adrian took the letter tentatively, and read. 

His eyes scanned the cursive handwriting. He even reread certain parts to make sure he hadn't misread. He hadn't. He hadn't imagined things in the letter. 

It was incredible.

Finally, he set down the letter, and regarded Erika with new eyes.

Were those tears of joy streaming down her face.. Or what?

"Wow, Erika," he said.

  
  


Erika lifted her head to look at Adrian. She realized that she was crying, but she didn't care. She realized it was the first time she'd ever cried in front of anyone, but she didn't care about that, either. She was vulnerable right now.. and the feeling wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.

  
  


She'd never allowed herself to be vulnerable before.

"Adrian, you know what this means!?" she exclaimed.

He couldn't suppress his half-smile. "That you're less like your father than you thought? Yeah, I know, beautiful."

Erika stared into space as she spoke, seemingly trying to make sense of it all. Trying to swallow all of this new information and not choke. "This guy- my father.. I spent forever thinking he didn't give a damn enough about me to stay out of lock down. I was wrong. He told me the truth all along."

"Yeah, I understand, Erika," Adrian said. "You feel like maybe there's something you have to live for now?"

Erika paused to stare into his eyes. Such beautiful eyes, dark and direct. "I already had something to live for, Adrian."

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

Having just awakened, Scott dragged himself out of his bed. 

The phone rang, and he picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Scott."

Scott smiled at Shelby's voice on the other end. He'd had a feeling that it would be her. It usually was. "Hey beautiful."

"It's soon, Scott. It's coming soon."

Scott collapsed back onto his bed. "I know, Shel!" he began. "God, I can't wait to see you. You would not believe how slow the time is passing without you here."

"I know. You would not believe what's going on around here. You know Erika? She *killed* Amber."

Scott wondered if he'd heard correctly. One thing was for certain, if he hadn't been awake before, he was now. "Huh? What?"

"I'm serious! It's crazy, no one knows the whole story, except for Erika, who's in the infirmary and is like unconscious."

It was almost too much to process. "Whoa.. No way, Shel."

"I'm serious!"

Scott shook his head, smiling. It was amazing, the effect she had on him. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

time passage..   
  
  
  
  
  


"The morp is fricking tomorrow," Shelby announced. "Scott. I'm going to see Scott.. Tomorrow."

She said it as if she could hardly believe it. 

It was like, suddenly all of her misery was coming to an end. Suddenly, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. 

She'd finally reached the end.

"Awww, Shel," Kat said sympathetically.

The Cliffhanger girls were lounging in their respective dorm, but it wasn't any typical day.

The morp was the very next day. 

"I love him.. so much," Shelby continued, not caring if anyone listened. It just felt wonderful to say the words aloud.. And tomorrow she could tell Scott, in person. 

It was like a dream. 

"Well, I'm happy for you," Daisy commented.

  
  
  
  


Erika was sprawled over her bunk, lying there idly, consumed with her thoughts.

The truth to the matter was, she was concerned about her father. It had been ages since she'd last received a letter from him. The letters had come flowing, almost daily, and then abruptly stopped. 

She didn't know what was going on, and that scared her. 

In his last letter, he'd mentioned to her that new evidence had arisen in his case, evidence that proved his innocense. He'd mentioned that his lawyer was confident that he'd be released from lock-down any time soon. There'd be a retrial.

But that was a while ago, and she hadn't received a letter since. What the hell was going on? 

Her thoughts filled with possible scenarios, anything that could have happened to him.

Her trail of thought ended, however, when Sophie barged into the girl's dorm, rather loudly. 

  
  


"Oh, the routine again," Daisy commented when she saw Sophie, a huge box filled with garments occupying her hands.

Sophie set down the box in the middle of the girl's dorm. "Okay guys.." she said. "Choose away. I'll be right back."

As Sophie left the dorm, the garments were spread in piles across the dorm, the girls sorting through them. 

Kat came across a long black, strapless dress made of glittering material. "This is such a beautiful dress," she said wistfully. Holding it up, she found that it was infinitely too long of a dress for her. "It's meant for someone tall, though," she remarked. Eying Erika, still lounging on her bunk, Kat tossed her the dress. "Erika, try this one on."

Erika caught the raiment disinterestedly. "Is this necessary?"

"Just try it on."

"Fine," Erika relented. "God, I haven't worn a dress since like, third grade, back when I couldn't think for myself."

Erika zipped up the back of it, and smoothed it out. Turning to Kat, she set her hands on her hips. "Happy?" she questioned. 

"It's perfect," Kat said. "I love it. Are you going to wear it?"

Erika shrugged. "I could."

"You should."

"Yeah, why?"

Kat shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "Do it for Adrian, maybe?"

"That boy is in love with you, you know," Daisy added, as she rejected a dress from the pile. 

"I know," Erika said inaudibly, to herself.

Shelby held up a pale gold, off the shoulder dress made from a opaque, gauzy kind of fabric. "What do you guys think of this one?" she asked.

"Try it on," Kat urged. 

Shelby did try it on, and realized that it was a near perfect fit. 

"You *have* to wear it," Kat said. "Scott's heart is going to stop when he sees you."

"You think so?" Shelby smiled. "More likely, I'm the one whose heart is going to stop from seeing him. You could not imagine how it feels to be separated from..."

Shelby didn't finish her sentence, she merely left it trailing. Juliette however, was more than happy to finish it for her. 

"The one?"

Shelby sat down on the edge of her bunk, careful not to crease the dress. "Yeah. The one." 

Juliette smiled. "That's so sweet!" she exclaimed. "I really hope you guys are meant to be together! That would be like, destiny.. That would be so romantic, like a happy ever after."

Daisy rolled her eyes, thoroughly unamused.

"You found a dress yet, Jules?" Kat asked. 

Juliette held two in both her fists. "I'm thinking either this one, or this one."

"I like the one on the right," Daisy opined. 

"Me too," Kat added.

"Okay, okay," Juliette said. "I'll see how it looks on me."

"What about you, Dais?" Kat asked.

"I've already decided," she said, smiling imperceptibly.

"But you haven't tried anything on yet."

Daisy held up a dress of her own. "It's called a *kimono*, Kat. One size fits all."

Kat shook her head, amused. "Alright," she said. 

  
  
  
  


* * *

-*-THE MORP-*- 

* * *

Peter Scarbrow sat behind his desk in the quiet of his office. Finishing up some last-minute paperwork quickly, so he could head back to the morp. 

He didn't expect it when he heard a knock at his door. 

"Come in," he called.

The door opened to a person Peter didn't recognize. 

Scruffy, chestnut brown facial hair, his hair a shaggy mess. Intense, emerald green eyes, that shifted around the room, scanning. Eyes that belied nothing. A lean, tall, imposing build. 

"You must be Peter Scarbrow," the stranger said. His voice was distinctively raspy, and unfaltering.

Peter set down his paperwork. "I am," he replied. Still, he could detect no familiarity with the stranger. Vaguely, the stranger's physical features made Peter reminisce, but only vaguely. He was more than certain, however, that he'd never seen this man in the entirety of his life. He would have remembered had he. "And you are?"

The stranger met Peter's gaze. Unwavering, striking green eyes met his. "Darryl," he said, in his gruff, raspy voice. "Darryl Lavalier."

Peter's jaw nearly dropped. 

What on earth is Erika's father doing here? he wondered. 

Peter was aware of recent events involving the man in front of him. New evidence had surfaced in the case, evidence that proved his innocense. But he was here..?

Taking a closer scrutiny to the man's features, Peter noticed strong resemblances between him and Erika. Angular, strong features.. Striking green eyes.. Tall build.. A stubborn, square chin.. 

Why hadn't he seen it before?

Peter put out his hand for the man to shake. "Good to meet you, sir."

Darryl took his hand, his grip strong. "I'm here to visit my.. daughter," he continued.

"Erika?"

"Yes," he said simply, his voice so raspy, it was almost as through it scratched against his throat. "Do you know that the last time I saw her.. was when she was just an infant?" 

"No, I didn't know that," Peter said quickly. He sat down in the chair behind his desk, and motioned for the man to do the same. As he did, Peter drummed his fingers against his desk, wondering where to start. "You were recently released from jail?"

"Yes," the man rasped. He looked about forty, but it was impossible to tell. The man had been in jail for countless years, and being in that kind of setting no doubt affected the aging process. His face was hard, and strong, conveying a kind of harshness that was developed only in prison cells. His hands were rough, and dry, his knuckles cracked and bloody, but had an eerie kind of gentleness about them. A man of contrasts, Peter decided. 

"A few days ago," Darryl continued. "It's been a.. crazy past few weeks. After being imprisoned for so long, I never honestly believed, that there was any hope for me. I thought I would continue on, in that hell.. without ever seeing my daughter again."

Peter met his gaze, and found that it was no different than looking into Erika's eyes. Fearless, unwavering, electric green eyes.. 

"Is she.. a good student?" Darryl asked suddenly, a hint of hopefulness in his raspy voice. 

Peter smiled imperceptibly. "She's quite the character," he replied. "She's also made remarkable improvement in the last month." 

"She spoke of you in her letters," Darryl said. "I appreciate everything that you've done for her."

"It was.. no problem," Peter replied. "You actually picked a very interesting day to see Erika. Today is 'the morp'."

"The.. morp?" Darryl questioned. 

"It's like a prom, only backwards," Peter explained. "It's a dance-type thing, the one day where they can shed themselves of their inhibitions and have fun. Be kids." 

"Sounds nice," Darryl commented. 

The man was impossible to read, Peter found. "Does Erika know that you're here?" Peter asked.

The gruff man shook his head. "No.." he said. "I want it to be a surprise. I haven't had the time, with all the court dates and whatnot to write her recently, she does know that I had a retrial, but doesn't know the outcome."

Peter chuckled. "Well, this will prove to be.. very interesting," he said. 

  
  
  
  


* * *

Readying themselves for the morp, the Cliffhanger girls were still in their dorm, preparing. 

"How do I look?"

Shelby turned to them, her hair loose, and wavy, curled with a curling iron. She wore the off-the-shoulder gold dress she'd found among the piles. A diamond in the rough, it trailed to her dainty ankles. Her make-up matched her dress- a glittery gold on her eyelids, black mascara, and sparkly lip gloss completed the look. 

She looked perfect. 

"You look beautiful, Shel," Kat said. 

"That gold eye shadow thing was a really good idea," Juliette commented, as she applied her own mascara. 

"Yeah. I concur," the kimono-clad Daisy said. 

Shelby sat down on her bunk. "I can't believe it," she said to herself. The thought of seeing Scott again.. finally.. was almost overwhelming. 

"Don't cry, you'll mess up your make up!" Kat chided playfully.

Shelby smiled. "I know. It's just.. it's been so long." 

"I know, Shel." 

Juliette touched up her eyeshadow, and once satisfied with the result, turned to the others. "You guys realize this is like, one of our last days here?" she said.

Daisy lifted the corners of her lips, in what could pass for a smile. "It's finally time for the real world to set in."

Shelby sighed wistfully. "At least Scott will be there.." she said to herself..

  
  


Little did she know... If only she knew. 

  
  
  
  


Sophie reappeared at the door. "It's about to start," she announced. 

* * *

Scott looked at himself in the mirror. 

Dressed in a dark tuxedo, Scott paused at his reflection. 

He adjusted his hair slightly, and then appeared satisfied. 

He let out a quiet sigh, and drew a breath.

It had all come to this. 

After months without Shelby.. endless months.. It had all come to this. 

Finally, it had come to this. 

  
  


He collapsed onto his bed, one thought occupying his mind. 

Shelby.

The days without her were hell. He'd never taken Shelby for granted, but being without her, having to live without her, only made him appreciate her all the more. 

He loved her so much, more than anything he'd ever loved in his life. He loved her so much it consumed him.. He loved her more than anything in the world.

The thoughts of seeing her again.. He wanted to cry from happiness.

He recognized that he'd be an utter wreck when he was finally reunited with her. He'd never loved anyone like he loved Shelby Merrick. 

  
  


Scott owned his own car. Living back at home, Shelby so far away, Scott had often found that he didn't know what to do with himself. So he'd done something productive- he worked. He eventually raised enough money to buy his own car. While it was, admittedly, a little bit worn around the edges, a little bit rugged, it could get him around. With it, he could get to Horizon, and that was all that mattered to him.

Scott took a long look at his room. Hopefully, this was the last time he'd ever see it. 

After tonight.. It was a new beginning. With Shelby. 

He didn't care what they did, once they were out of Horizon, as long as he was with Shelby.. his soul would be at ease. 

  
  
  
  


Scott made his way downstairs. As far as he was concerned, all was well in the world. He'd soon be reunited with Shelby, he'd never have to deal with his dad again.. It was perfect. 

The moment, however was not so perfect. 

Scott found his dad waiting for him at the end of the staircase.

"Why in the hell are you dressed like that?" Martin questioned.

Scott barely gave his father a second look, as he reached for his coat. "I'm leaving," he said, "and if I'm lucky I'll never have to see you again." 

"Leaving for Horizon?"

"Yeah," Scott said under his breath. He paused when the keys to his car weren't in the place he kept them. Scott turned to his father. "Have you seen my keys?"

Martin's expression was unreadable. "Fortunately," he began, "I have." It was then that Martin pulled Scott's car keys from his pocket, and let them dangle in his fingers."Unfortunately for you," Martin continued, "they're far beyond your reach."

Scott didn't know what to think. "What the hell, Dad..?!" 

Martin's face took on a serious expression as he placed the keys back into his pocket, and turned to Scott. "I refused to sit and watch as you destroy your future, Scott. So I decided to take matters in my own hands. Literally."

Scott was aghast. Surely his dad hadn't sunk to this level!? "My future is not your choice, give me my fucking keys!"

Martin looked unimpressed, and neither his voice, nor his gaze, faltered. "Not a chance. Scott, when did you ever get the impression that you were in charge around here?"

Scott stood, dumbfounded, staring at his father. 

"I mean, seriously Scott," Martin continued. "You thought I'd just let you leave? No, Scott. You have a potential to fulfill."

Scott had had enough. He shook his head defiantly. "I choose my own destiny, my own path to fulfill." 

"No, you won't," Martin interjected, before striking Scott across the face.

The last thing Scott had expected was his dad to use physical force to get his way. He hadn't expected it when his father's fist made contact with his face..

Despite all that had happened between them two, Martin had never physically struck Scott. Until now. 

Scott held his sore cheek, as his father continued.

"You will do as I tell you."

"Like hell I will!" Scott exploded. "I choose my future, not you. You don't understand my choices? Fine. I don't care."

Scott made his way towards the door, the door that led to his freedom, but his father's voice made him turn around.

"Where did I go wrong in raising you, Scott? First, you ruin my marriage, and now you're ruining your future. You're ruining me." 

"How am I ruining you?!" Scott exclaimed. "You ruined yourself, you ruined your marriage by marrying Elaine in the first place, and you're ruining my future by keeping me here!"

A look of shock came over Martin's face. "The nerve.." he muttered to himself. Turning to Scott, sudden authority in his voice, he said, "Get out of my house."

Now Scott was just confused. A minute ago, his father had forbade him to leave, now he forbade him to stay? "What the hell?"

"Now."

Needless to say, Scott didn't budge.

"Get out of my goddamn house!"

"Give me my fucking keys!" Scott returned. "You want me to go so badly, where do you expect me to go without my car?!"

"I don't care anymore, Scott," Martin said simply. "Get out of my house."

Scott looked at his dad with disgust. "Fine," he relented. "Fine *dad*. Some father you are, eh? Kicking me out because I refuse to let you run my life? It's my life. I'm sorry that you can't understand that. Shelby is out there waiting for me. I *love* her more than you could possibly conceive. You can't understand that either? Fine." 

Martin's anger boiled. "Get out of my goddamn house!" he raged. 

Scott made no indication that he'd even heard. "If there's one thing in life worth living for, you know what? It's love." 

"Now, Scott. Get out of my house now."

"I hope you rot in hell," Scott hissed, before slamming the door behind him. 

  
  


* * *

It rained. Outside, it rained. 

Scott had exited from the emptiness of his house, to the rain, with only the clothes on his back.

He headed towards his car in the driveway, only to find that things could get worse. Incredibly, things could get worse.

Even the tires on his car were slashed. 

Scott leaned against his car helplessly, letting the rain soak him. He allowed tears to leak from his eyes, travelling down his face with the rain.

How the hell was he going to get to Horizon, now? Could he, even?

Would he ever see Shelby again?

Could he?

The night was dark and stormy, clouds dark and gloomy. It poured relentlessly.

Scott despaired. He literally had nothing. He didn't have material possessions, not his car, not even his home anymore, and even Shelby.. She didn't deserve someone who could even make it to their morp. 

He was cold, soaked, and miserable. A stark contrast to what he'd been mere minutes ago.. Moments ago he was eager and truly believing that everything would work out alright. He had believed that everything would work out perfectly.

How wrong he was, he thought dismally. 

But he couldn't give up, he thought. He couldn't just abandon Shelby. He'd done that once already, and wasn't about to do it again. 

He wanted to see Shelby more than anything in the world. He thought about breaking into his own house, and prying the keys from his father's hands. 

Bleakly, he thought about it. He'd do it for Shelby. 

But then there was the slashed tires on his car.. A part of him couldn't believe that his dad would have sunk to that level. That part of him also couldn't believe that his father had struck him out of rage. 

The other part of him was amazed that his father had thought that physical force would work.

Scott shook his rain-soaked head. He had no means of getting to Horizon anymore. It was over two hours away by car, so it wasn't like he could just casually ask for a drive from a neighbour or anything of the like.

He couldn't do anything, and it pained him to no end. He was hopeless, helpless. 

He'd never see Shelby again.. She'd wait for him at the morp.. But he'd never come. 

It reduced him to tears.. The thought of Shelby being so overcome by disappointment when he didn't show up..

If anything, he could do something about that. If anything, he had to do something about that...

  
  
  
  


------------------------

  
  


Scott stood at his neighbour's doorstep, thoroughly drenched and desperate.

He rang the doorbell, and could only wait in the rain for the door to be answered. 

It seemed like an eternity until the door opened, but when it finally did, his neighbour, a black-haired, middle-aged woman with a kind smile named Nora, confronted Scott with wide eyes. 

Scott realized he must look like a mess.

"Yes?" she said. She knew Scott well, because he was friends with her son, Matt.

"Hey, uh, can I use your phone?" Scott asked, realizing he must sound like an idiot, but at the moment, with everything else that was going on, he didn't particularly care.

Nora furrowed her brows at the strange request. 

At the same moment, Matt casually crossed the hallway, and noticed Scott at the door. "Scott?" he said, going to the door. "What's.. Going on? Why you dressed like that, man?"

"It uh.. is a long story," Scott explained quickly. "Can I please use your phone?"

"Of course," Nora said, opening the door for him. 

"Thank you," Scott replied as he stepped through the doorway.

"You alright, Scott?"

Scott merely shrugged.

"Yo, Scott," Matt continued. 

"What?"

"You alright, man?"

"I just need to use the phone."

  
  


--------

Scott could feel the eyes of his neighbours on his back, as he stood in their kitchen, the phone to his ear. 

"Hello?"

"Hey, Peter?" Scott said into the phone.

"Scott?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"So.. you want to tell me why you called?"

Scott didn't know where to begin. "I.. I don't think I'm going to be able to make it," he managed. 

"And why is that?"

"Well.." Scott began. "My dad just kicked me out of the house.. He has the keys for my ride.. I have no means of getting there anymore."

"Are you alright, Scott?"

Scott wanted to laugh. Any hope of a future with Shelby was obliterated, he no longer had his car, didn't even have a place to stay. Did Peter think things were hunky-dory with him? Of course he wasn't alright. "Not exactly," he said finally. 

"What are you going to do?" 

Scott shook his head. "I don't know. Peter.. Can I ask you to do something for me?"

"What is it?"

"Tell Shelby I love her," Scott said urgently. 

"Alright. I will."

"K, thanks for that. Bye."

"Bye.."

Scott set down the phone, heaving a tired sigh.


	42. Tears

Author's Note: Thanks for reviewing, y'all. I really appreciate it. I have a longer, way more important AN at the end of this chapter.. Btw, this chapter takes place during the actual morp. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

Music blasting.. People dancing.. 

Shelby watched her world pass her by. Among the people, she looked for Scott. 

She searched for him in vain.

"God, where's Scott?"

The words left her lips, a wistful whisper she didn't think anyone had heard. 

Daisy popped up beside her, in a way only Daisy could do. "Oh, he's coming," she said confidently, and grabbed some stale punch.

Shelby sank back, and leaned against the wall, just watching. Waiting. 

  
  
  
  


Just one word occupied her thoughts.. Scott.

Scott, the one who could always make her smile. Unconsciously, a smile played on her lips as she thought about him. 

It seemed like an eternity had passed since their estrangement. It would be the happiest moment of her life, when he came back to her. 

Good things didn't happen to her often.. and Scott, was by far, the best thing that had ever happened to her. He was the one person who'd give up his future to be with her.. the one person who made her feel alive- the one person who made her want to be alive. 

  
  
  
  


Some time later, a voice rang clear against the loud music. 

"Shelby!"

Shelby turned towards the origin of the voice, suddenly full of hope.. But it wasn't Scott.

"Shelby," Peter repeated, once he had her attention. Shelby didn't bother concealing her disappointment. 

"I have a message for you," Peter continued.

Shelby furrowed her brows. "You do?"

Peter nodded. "From Scott."

"Alright, let's hear it," she said, and moved away from the music, her pulse racing.

Peter took a deep breath. "He.. wanted me to tell you that.. he loves you," he managed.

Shelby eyed Peter suspiciously. "What?" she questioned. "What's going on?"

"Scott.. can't make it," Peter explained.

For a moment, Shelby merely stood, frozen. "He's not coming?" she repeated, motionless.

"That's right."

Reality came crashing down on her. 

Scott's not coming. 

Shelby closed her eyes, and a tear escaped onto her cheek. Angrily, she brushed it away. Her eyes snapped open abruptly, fury fleeting in them. "No..!" she screamed. "He has to make it!" Shelby turned against the wall to support herself, she felt like her knees were about to buckle from under her. Suddenly turning to Peter, questioning, her face tear-stained, she asked desperately, "Why can't he make it?"

"He lost his means of transport here," Peter responded.

Shelby shook her head, tears running down her face. "No.. God, no!" she whispered. "This can't be happening. You have to go get him!"

Peter shook his head grimly. "He no longer attends this school, Shelby. I can't just pull up in his driveway and take him here."

Shelby collapsed against the wall, tears cascading freely down her cheeks. Her make-up was now a mess, but the thought never occurred to her. All that she knew, all she could think about was.. Scott isn't coming.

She'd waited for him, all in vain. Months, she'd spent, full of hopefulness, full of happiness, knowing that soon, someday, Scott would come galloping to her rescue on his white horse, bring her to a place where they could be together.. Those months.. those moments.. now meant nothing. 

She'd given up her happiness for his future.. And he couldn't even come to the morp. 

Shelby put her head in her hands, and cried unabashedly. She didn't care.. Not anymore. She didn't have anything to care about anymore.. Not even Scott.

"God dammit!" she screamed.

She could discern Peter's voice among her sobs. "I'm sorry, Shelby."

How could he be? Shelby wondered angrily. How could he possibly know!

She'd loved deeply.. but she'd lost.

She loved him so much.. But he wasn't here. He wasn't coming. He wasn't ever going to come. 

She thought about Scott.. the curls of his blond hair.. the cerulean eyes.. Did he know how much he'd just destroyed her? Did he know how much she'd invested in him, how much she counted on him being here? Did he know how she loved him more than life itself? 

Shelby shook her head, unable to bring herself out of denial. This can't be happening, she thought to herself. 

She knew that Scott knew how much she loved him.

How could he do this to her?!

Suddenly struck, Shelby stopped crying. Scott knew how much she loved him..

He wouldn't do this to her! she thought angrily.

He wouldn't do this to her. 

With some effort, Shelby brought herself to her feet, and just ran. 

She could heard Peter, calling after her. "Shelby!"

She darted inside Peter's office. Peter followed her inside. 

"Where's the phone?" Shelby questioned him.

"Shelby..."

"Where's the goddamn phone?!"

Peter pointed to the edge of his desk. "Right there," he replied.

Shelby picked up the phone, and dialled Scott's number hastily. 

She waited impatiently, listening to the phone ring. "Come on Scott, pick up the phone!" she said impatiently.

"Hello?"

It wasn't Scott, but it was something. "Hello, can I speak with Scott?" Shelby said hurriedly.

"He no longer lives here. Can I ask who this is?"

"It's Shelby. What do you mean he no longer lives there?!"

"That's all there is to it."

"Can you tell me where I can reach him?" Shelby asked desperately. 

"I really don't know, and frankly, I don't care to know. Goodbye."

Shelby closed her eyes, discouraged as she heard the phone of the other line hang up.

She slammed down the phone herself. "His dad says he no longer lives there! What the hell is going on?!"

"Shelby, calm down," Peter said patiently.

Shelby turned to her headmaster, incredulous. "You expect me to be calm?!"

"Please try. Sit down."

Taking a deep breath, Shelby sat down. A stray tear ran down her cheek. "What's going on with Scott?" she asked, almost pleading. 

"His dad kicked him out of the house, and is keeping him from coming here," Peter explained.

Shelby stared at Peter, completely stone-faced. Another tear ran down her cheek.

Would she ever see Scott again?!

Just a couple hours ago, she'd had a conversation with the other Cliffhanger girls.. She'd confessed that she thought that Scott was 'the one'. 

Apparently not. 

She was just about to leave, it wasn't like sitting there did her any good, when a knock sounded at Peter's door.

Daisy slowly ventured inside Peter's office. 

"Shelby?" she said.

"What do you want?!"

Daisy saw the tears stained on Shelby's cheeks.. Heard the impatience in Shelby's response.. Something had to have happened. "You were making a lot of noise," she said. 

"Scott's not coming," Shelby snapped. 

"I'm sorry," Daisy managed. 

Shelby's eyes were hurt, and angry. "Don't be," she said, and departed from Peter's office. 

"Shelby.." Daisy called after her.

Peter's face was grim. "I think she needs some time alone." 

Daisy nodded in agreement. "Yeah." 

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

some time later..   
  
  
  
  
  


  
  


"Erika!"

Erika turned when she heard her name called, clear as day that seemed to cut right through the music. 

She set down her punch, and found her headmaster awaiting her.

"Yeah, Peter?" she said.

She noticed a small smile, barely noticeable formed on Peter's visage- a smile that held an almost deviousness. 

Erika crossed her arms in anticipation. 

She didn't notice the tall, lean figure a couple feet to Peter's right. Didn't notice how eyes so much like her own, were captivated.

  
  
  
  


Adrian stood beside her, but unlike Erika, he noticed the strangely familiar presence beside Peter. Noticed eyes with such eerie semblance it couldn't be passed off as a mere coincidence. The man's eyes, were however, hard and somehow sad. 

Somehow solemn. 

The man was fairly unkempt, his skin dry and rough, his knuckles cracked and bloody. The clothes he wore, although a casual style, looked like they'd never been worn. 

Adrian met the man's gaze, and held it locked. There was an almost mutual understanding, a mutual harmless curiosity. 

  
  


"I have someone here that I'd like you to meet," Peter continued, and beckoned to Darryl to come forward. "Darryl?" he said. 

Erika watched in disbelief as a man in the shadows came into light. The light illuminated his features, features so much like her own.

It was like staring into her own eyes. 

Erika grabbed Adrian's hand suddenly, suddenly finding herself slack-jawed, at a loss for words.

Holy shit, she thought to herself. Holy fucking shit..

She knew who he was. It seemed almost blatantly obvious.. and at the same time, absolutely unbelievable. 

Still, all directions led to the same conclusion. 

She'd dreamed of this day for all of her life. It was almost hard to believe that this was reality.. And not just another dream. 

Or was this a dream? Erika wondered idly. She pinched herself, to assure herself that she indeed, subsisted in reality. If this was a dream, she thought to herself, she wasn't awakening. 

She realized that she'd been staring slack-jawed for some time now. 

"Oh my god," Erika managed finally, only to find that her throat had gone dry. "You're.. my father, aren't you? You're my dad.."

She saw that his facial muscles barely moved, stolid.

"Yes," he replied in a voice that was strikingly raspy, but soft.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Darryl Lavalier could barely believe his eyes. 

The vision, the beauty in front of him, was his daughter. He'd spawned this beautiful child. 

Straight blond hair that hung past her shoulders, the razor-sharp collarbones, slightly broad shoulders and all.. The strong, square chin.. The distinctive, angular features.. 

"My god," he whispered to himself. "You have my eyes. And my chin." Briefly, he touched her chin, if only to ascertain himself that it was real.. not just a figment of his imagination. 

She was so beautiful, and he couldn't help but wonder what he'd missed out on, while cooped up in a real lock down for societal rejects. 

"If I had known," he told Erika sincerely, "that I had such a beautiful daughter, it would have made the days.." Momentarily, he looked away, reminiscing. Painful memories. He brought his eyes back to his daughter. "..the endless days.. more bearable."

He watched as tears began to well up in her eyes, and she flung her arms around his neck. 

It was like a shock to the system.. He couldn't conjure up the last time he'd been embraced freely.. The last time he'd been touched with affection of any kind. Being confined in a cell with everyone believing him to be a heartless murderer, not many dared come near him, let alone embrace him.

It was a moment before he'd realized that he was supposed to return the embrace. 

He could feel her tears drift onto his shirt. 

"You got out?" she asked, still clinging onto him, not daring to let go, should he drift from her grasp again.

"Yes," he said. "With a clean slate."

He felt a tear of his own stray onto his cheek, and it surprised him. Despite all that he'd gone through, it had been all too long since he'd last cried. He'd learned soon enough that crying got one no where.

But there it was, running down his cheek, into his scruffy beard.

It was joy, unlike any he'd ever known.

When it seemed his situation was hopeless, she'd believed in him- asking nothing in return. She didn't have to believe in him, but she had, regardless. When her mother had done all she could to extract him from their lives, Erika had persevered. For his sake.

It was almost too much.

He knew that he'd remember and cherish this moment for the rest of his life- holding his daughter for the first time, in what had seemed countless lifetimes. 

When she finally let go, finally pulled away, their eyes were locked, unable to tear away.

"You can't imagine how much your letters helped me, kept me sane," Darryl told his daughter. "I'd given up hope until I first received a letter from you."

He'd spent over ten years, wallowing in his unjust prison sentence, hopeless, until her letters reached him. If not for the letters, he'd surely have gone crazy, or killed himself, put himself out of his misery.

  
  


Erika managed to smile through her tears. "I knew it," she told her father. "I knew not to give on you. I was getting worried when I didn't hear from you recently."

"I'm sorry about that," he said quietly. "The last few days have been a whirlwind." 

Erika nodded. "I understand," she said tearfully.

"And who's this?" Darryl asked, beckoning beside her.

Erika turned beside her, to find that Adrian was still standing there, a glass of punch in his hands. 

"Oh, this is Adrian," she replied, wiping a tear from her cheek. 

"Nice to meet you," Adrian said courteously.

"Likewise," Darryl rasped. 

He noted Adrian's studious, curious dark-eyed gaze, but didn't think much of it. Indifferent, he inhaled deeply, and seemed to relish the taste of oxygen in his lungs. "You would not believe how much cleaner the air is out here," he said, somewhat to himself. 

He found Erika staring, solemnly, into his eyes. 

"We have a lot to talk about," Erika stated evenly.

Darryl nodded. "Yes. We do."

Erika turned to Adrian, and took his hand in hers. "Adrian, I need a moment."

"Yeah," Adrian agreed, his gaze shifting from Erika to her father. "Definitely. I'll see you around later."

"Yeah," Erika replied, and gently released her hand. "Thanks, Adrian."

Adrian shrugged. "No problem," he said, and, grabbing his glass of punch, melted into the scenery. 

Once Adrian had gone, Erika turned to her father again, her eyes questioning, curious.. grateful for his presence. "So.. does my mother know?"

Darryl visibly stiffened. Erika couldn't blame him. 

"She has been alerted," he affirmed. 

"What'd she say?" Erika asked.

"Nothing, really," he dismissed, his raspy voice taut. "I'm hardly surprised, though." 

Erika's eyes darkened. "Yeah," she said, hardly surprised herself. "Neither am I. But listen, what she thinks, doesn't mean shit."

Under his breath, Darryl muttered, "More than you will ever know."

  
  


Erika's eyes wandered. God, was this really happening?

"I can't believe you're out, can't believe you're here with me.." Erika confessed, but her words came out rushed. "I've imagined my whole life what you might look like."

He turned to her. "So did I live up to your expectations?" There wasn't much humour in his voice. Humour would be too much to ask of a man who'd spent a quarter of his life wrongfully behind bars.

"Surpassed them," Erika replied. "How did you get here, anyhow? Weren't you within a state of here?"

"Yes," he affirmed. "I drove."

"All the way for me?"

"All the way for you," Darryl responded. "I know I haven't been there for you.."

Erika halted his words. "That's not your fault. Besides, you *were* with me, even if it was just in my heart. Even if I didn't have any memory of you.. Hell, you were still there. You were there for me more than my excuse for a mother ever was."

  
  


* * *

Author's note: This wasn't really a full chapter, but there's a reason for that. I need some feedback, I need some opinions. 

I'm not really sure what to do with this story- so I'm pretty much leaving it up to y'all..

I could end this story with the next chapter. Or, I could prolong it, go into a deeper back story, and whatnot, and S&S's adventures, you know, whatever. The outcomes are the same, I just want to know if you think I should make it longer.. The only trouble is, that way, this story might never end. I'm already plotting out this huge storyline in my head involving Darryl Lavalier, Adrian and Erika. But it's like I said, this story is pretty long already, and I could write about nothing if I felt compelled to. If I do decide to make it longer, I don't know when, where or even if it will ever end.

So... What do you think I should do? I really don't know, honestly. And I'm starting my first year of high school in mere days, so I'll probably be swamped with homework, and I'm probably not going to have as much time to write. 

Thanx in advance! 


	43. Finale

Author's Note: Ookay! Last chapter! Thanks for reviewing, y'all, I really appreciate it, I hope you enjoy this last chapter before I write the sequel. Thanks!  
  
  
  


* * *

"Scott? Is everything all right? Is what you were saying on the phone true?" 

Scott turned around slowly to face his questioning neighbours.

"Uh.. yeah," he managed.

"Can we do anything?" Nora offered, her eyes anxious.

"Not really," Scott replied dismally.

  
  


He couldn't do anything.. they certainly couldn't do anything. 

Nothing could be done.. to mend broken seams.. to change the past.. to turn back time.. 

He was helpless, merely existing, without the slightest grasp on his own life.. his grip had failed him long ago.   
  
  
  


"What happened to your face, man?"

Matt's voice, questioning tone, brought Scott back to reality. 

"Uh.." Scott began, not exactly eager to share the story. "Well.. basically, my dad.. got pissed when I wasn't going to let him run my life."

Nora's eyes widened. "Scott.."

"It's.. nothing," he dismissed, his eyes drawn.

"It's not nothing," Nora persisted. 

"Whoa, man," Matt assessed. "What are you going to do?" 

Scott shook his head bleakly. "I don't know. I need to make another call."

"Go right ahead," Nora told him, trying to conceal her uneasiness with the entire situation. 

  
  


Trying his best to block out his feelings entirely, Scott picked up the phone again. Hastily, he dialled a long memorized number, the numbers burned into his subconscious, and waited as the ringing of the phone on the other end sounded in his ear.

"Hello?"

It was his mom's voice. 

"Hey, mom," Scott said, his voice a monotone.

"Scott?"

"Hey, listen," Scott said hurriedly. "I don't have a place to stay anymore." 

"What?"

"Dad, uh.. kicked me out of the house," Scott managed.

"He did what?! What for?"

"I wasn't gonna let him run my life, so he kicked me to the curb," he explained.

"Scott... oh my god. Do you want me to come get you?"

Scott shrugged. "Or something. I don't have a place to stay."

"I'm coming right now. It'll be a few hours t'ill I get there, though. I'll catch the first flight I can manage."

"You're coming?" Scott questioned.

"Yes, Scott. I guess you'll be living with me now."

"Okay."

"Where are you?"

"I'm next door," Scott replied. "326 Green Terrace road." 

"Alright. I'll be there in a couple hours."

"Thanks," Scott managed.

"I love you."

"Yeah, same."

"Bye, Scott. See you soon."

"Bye."

And with that, Scott hung up the phone.   
  


Scott turned to meet the anxious eyes of his neighbours. 

"Hey," he began, "is it.. okay if I stay here a couple hours, until my mom comes to pick me up?"

"Absolutely," Nora replied easily. "Make yourself at home."

  
  


----------------------

some time later.  
  
  
  


Scott lounged on the couch of his neighbour's, video game controller in hand.

"What the hell is going on with you, man?" asked Matt, who was sitting on the floor, his eyes glued to the television screen, his fingers maneuvering the controllers of the video game. 

Scott almost flinched. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You suddenly show up, after bein' gone for over a year, then.. Your old man kicks you out?" Matt momentarily looked towards Scott, but his gaze returned to the screen, their game.

"It's a long story," Scott replied stolidly, transfixed himself.

"Yeah, I'll bet it is. And man?"

"Yeah?"

"Why in the hell are you dressed like that? You gettin' hitched or something?"

"I wish," Scott muttered under his breath. 

"What?"

"Nothing," Scott dismissed.

"You know, whatever man."

Their attention returned to their video game, and not another word was exchanged between the too. Were it not for the pleasant distraction of the video game, it would have been an awkward silence.  
  
  
  


* * *

a couple hours later..   
  
  
  
  


The doorbell sounded, and Scott bolted to his feet, tossing the video game controller aside. 

"That must be her," Scott said hopefully, and went to answer the door, with Nora and Matt following him. 

Scott opened the door, and found his mother standing there.

Her hair a brassy blond, curly, eyes a deep blue. A kind face.

"Hi Scott," she smiled at seeing her son again.

"Hi mom," Scott replied.

"I got tickets for the next flight out of here," she stated. "It's in an hour." 

"Okay," Scott assessed. He turned to his neighbours, grateful for their hospitality. "Guys.. Thanks for letting me stay."

"It was no problem, Scott," Nora replied. 

"K, thanks, bye."

"Hey, man," Matt intervened. "Is this bye for now, or bye forever?"

"Bye forever." 

"Bye, man," Matt said. "Have a good life."

"Hey, you too," Scott returned. "Thanks."

And with that, he left their house, never to return again, but grateful.

"Why are you dressed like that, son?" his mom asked his as they headed out towards her rental car. 

"It's a long story," Scott replied. "I was supposed to go to the morp, see the girl I told you about on the phone when we last talked. I was supposed to take my car and get there. My dad took my keys.. and kicked me to the curb."

His mom, usually so calm and reserved, so knowing and mature, was visibly angry at these revelations. 

She stopped in her tracks, and turned to Scott. "You know, I'm going to give Martin a piece of my mind."

"Don't bother," Scott dead-panned. "He's a lost cause."

"That's exactly why I need to do it," she replied determinedly.

"I'll be out here," Scott told her.

"Alright," she responded, and walked up the doorsteps to the house, the empty house Scott used to know too well.   
  


She rung the doorbell, waited as Martin came to answer it. 

* * *

Martin Barringer hurried to the door. The bell had rung, and he opened the door to a countenance he hadn't seen in years. A countenance he hadn't wanted to see again. 

The face of his ex-wife.

He'd barely had time enough to assess her presence when her words attacked him, her tone accusing and unrelenting.   
  


"What the hell is wrong with you, Martin?" 

Martin rolled his eyes, and began to close the door on his ex-wife, when she intercepted.

"Don't you dare slam the door on me!" she exclaimed, and inviting herself into his house, walked inside. She faced him, full of anger, barely containing it. Rage. "Kicking your own son out, to fend for himself?! What were you thinking? Or were you at all?"

"He was ruining his life," Martin replied curtly. "I had the courtesy to save him from himself."

"You had no right- you had no right to scheme behind his back to take him out of Horizon. You had no right to take his goddamn car keys, slash the tires on his car.. Very mature, Martin."

"You're one to talk," he returned. "You haven't seen him, let alone given a damn about him in the better part of a year."

"I'm not the one who's spouse seduced him!"

Martin raised his hand to her, but realizing what he was about to have done.. his hand fell back to his side. 

Her eyes were fierce and unafraid as they met his. "You can hit me all you want, but that's not going to change the truth."

Martin used his height to its full advantage, and towered over her. "I think you've said enough."

"No, Martin," she said. "You've just heard all that you can stand to hear."  
  
  
  


* * *

Scott waited outside, for his mom to emerge from the house.

He couldn't help but think about Shelby.

Shelby..

Beautiful blond hair.. blue eyes a deep blue.. Cynical humour he'd become accustomed to.. Cynical humour he'd come to love. 

The girl he'd come to love.

He thought about her.. but something kept nagging at him.

He realized that he'd have to come to terms with the fact that he'd never see Shelby again.

No, he thought to himself. There has to be another way.

But then he realized that there was no other way.. no other alternative. 

He was leaving with his mom, far away, and he'd never see Shelby again.

It had all come to this. 

His mom emerged from his former house, and the door slammed behind her. They'd obviously fought.

"Come on Scott. Let's go," his mom called, and hurried towards her rental car. Scott followed in suit.

"You alright?" Scott asked.

"Fine," she dismissed. "I'll be better once we get away from that.. pig!"

Scott's expression was seemingly carved out of marble. "Alright."  
  
  
  


----------

time passes..  
  
  
  


Scott breathed deeply.. the clean scent of the rental car lingering in his lungs. He watched as the world passed them by, riding in the car towards the airport. 

He watched the world, expressionless. Unable to make anything of it. 

Why was it that everything that seemingly could go wrong, did? Why him? Why did it always have to happen to him?

He'd lived a life, that would be, at best described as mixed-bag. A wonderful childhood, a free childhood.. Free of inhibitions, free of cares.. Free of responsibility. But after his parents divorced.. after Elaine became a part of his life.. Everything had gone downhill at a breakneck pace. 

But Shelby.. 

Shelby had changed his life.

Scott was silent, wordless as he watched the world outside his window. Grim, accepting.

It was beyond his control   
  
  
  


"How are you doing, Scott?"

His mom's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Okay," he replied, no conviction whatsoever in his tone.

"Good," she returned, her eyes on the road as she drove. "Soon, this will all be behind you."

Scott sank back into his seat. "Mom.. What if I don't want it to be behind me?" he blurted out.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"That girl.. Shelby.. she's still waiting for me."

"Is she?"

"Yeah. Do you think we could take a detour, go to Horizon?"

"We'd miss our flight," she said pointedly. 

"I'd rather miss my flight than miss Shelby," Scott said, his eyes pleading, almost desperate. 

She halted the car, parked it on the side of the road. Turning to her son seriously, she asked, "Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah. This girl saved me, mom."

It was a moment before she replied. "Okay," she decided finally. She put her hands back onto the steering wheel, resolve in her voice as she continued. "Then that's where we'll go."  
  
  
  


* * *

Shelby sat sprawled over her bunk, tears in her eyes. 

Alone, she resided in the girls dorm while everyone else was enjoying themselves at the morp.

Scott. He wasn't coming. He was never going to come.

Inevitably, tears leaked from her eyes.

Scott. Damn you, Scott.  
  


Shelby buried her face in her pillows. She didn't want to admit how hurt she was. How devastated.. how utterly destroyed..

But she couldn't stop her tears from flowing any more than she could deny her emotions. She loved Scott.. perhaps too much. 

Shelby was a wreck, still clad in the off-the-shoulder gold dress she'd selected. She hadn't bothered to removed her smudged make-up, despite that she had no intention of returning to the morp.

Outside, the stars glittered in the darkening sky.   
  


Time had passed... and Shelby had done nothing but mourn.. lament.. Cry.

Acting on impulse alone, Shelby parted the curtains to her window, looked outside. 

It was dark outside.. Dark and beautiful, a cloudless sky reflected onto the clear waters. Had she not been so depressed, she would have marvelled at how beautiful it was.

Her eyes drifted towards the docks..

Memories filled her conscious.. Memories of the most wonderful moments. Memories of soft lips and kisses, memories of defying rules to be together.. Memories of Scott. 

Shelby snapped the curtains closed. She'd have to forget about Scott.. move on.. Somehow.   
  


A tear strayed down her cheek. She couldn't forget about Scott.. no matter how much she wanted to.. No matter how much she needed to.   
  
  
  


----------------  
  
  
  


"That was soo much fun!" Juliette gushed.

Daisy had the suspicion that Juliette had taken a little too much sugary punch. "Yes. Fun. Indeed," she dead-panned.

"Oooh Daisy, lighten up!" Juliette giggled.

The three Cliffhanger girls were returning from the morp, to their dorm. 

"Glad you had a good time, Jules," Kat smiled. 

"Where's Shelby, anyways?" Juliette questioned suddenly, looking around, alert. "I haven't seen her around.."

"She needed some time alone," Daisy replied. "Scott didn't come."

"Oh no.. Poor Shel!" Kat exclaimed. 

"Indeed," Daisy agreed.

"Poor Shel.." 

They made their way towards their dorm, and entered it, to find Shelby sprawled over her bunk.   
  
  
  


"Hey Shel are you okay?" Kat asked sympathetically.

In response, Shelby pulled herself together and left the dorm, fleeing.

"Guess not," Kat muttered. 

"It's like I said," Daisy said, "she needs some time alone."

Juliette sighed. "You guys realize that tomorrow.. We'll all be going our separate ways?"

"Scary thought," Kat thought aloud.

"Only if you aren't prepared for it," Daisy replied, and pulled her hair out of the ponytail it had been pinned up in. 

"Is anyone, really?" Juliette questioned. "How can you be prepared for it?"

"Well.. I am. Sort of," Kat admitted. "I know what college I'm going to.. And that's what I'm doing. What about you guys?"

Daisy shrugged. "I have already applied for a position at the Mortuary Monthly, if that tells you anything," she said. 

Juliette smiled broadly. "I'll probably go to some community college. Hopefully I'll still see Auggie." 

"What's Shelby doing?" Kat questioned suddenly.

"No clue," Daisy replied. 

"I thought her plan was to be with Scott," Juliette said as she removed her eye make-up with a cotton-ball.

"Well.. That's not going to happen," Daisy said cynically.

"Poor Shelby," Kat sighed.   
  
  
  


* * *

Shelby sat at the edge of the docks, and removed her shoes. She pulled her legs over so that they dangled over the edge, and brushed at the clear water. 

Memories came flooding towards her from being in this setting.. Memories she wanted to forget, but couldn't let go of. 

The summer night was warm and breezy, and the water was cold against her feet.

The atmosphere was silent, the curtain of night securely drawn.

She merely sat there, reminiscing, watching the waves of the water brush against her feet and slither between her toes. 

Sleep would have been impossible, tears none left to cry, she stared blankly, bleakly ahead, into the darkness of night. Watching the water glitter in the light of the moon.  
  
  
  
  
  


--------------------  
  


some time later..  
  
  
  


It must have been mid-night.. At least. 

Shelby hadn't moved once, still sitting on the docks, reminiscing, unable to help herself. 

It was then that she felt a hand on her shoulder. A strong, warm hand. 

She hadn't even heard a presence approach.

She turned around, but when her eyes grazed over the figure.. She felt like her heart was going to leap out of her ribs. She thought she'd die from happiness.  
  


"Hey beautiful," Scott said with a smile.

Shelby pulled her feet out of the water, and leapt into his arms. 

"Scott! You made it..!" she cried, her arms firmly fastened around his neck.

God himself could not pry her away from him.

It was a miracle. She'd almost not dared believe it when she saw his face, the eyes that had haunted her dreams for seemingly an eternity.. For fear her eyes were deceiving her.

But she'd definitely not imagined his arms around her.. like she'd dreamt for so long. He was real, and his voice breathed in her neck definitely wasn't a figment of her imagination either.

For once, something had gone right.

It had all come to this.  
  


"Shelby.."

"Oh my god, Scott.." she breathed. She closed her eyes, crying, a flutter in her stomach.. something she hadn't felt in an eternity.. Something she thought she'd never feel again. 

Love. True love. Happiness. True happiness.

"Sorry I'm late.." Scott whispered, not wanting to ever let Shelby go. "I had a few.. adventures in coming here."

Shelby opened her eyes, her gaze meeting his cerulean blue eyes. There were no eyes more beautiful than his.

She noticed, a purple bruise on his cheek. 

"Oh my god, you're hurt," she said, concerned, touching his cheek tentatively. 

He merely smiled. "It's funny though, since I've laid eyes on you.. the pain just disappeared."

Shelby smiled through her tears of joy. "Oh my god, Scott.." she said shaking her head. This was the last thing she'd ever anticipated happening. 

"I love you Shel," Scott whispered, his short-cropped, wavy hair rustling in the wind.

"I love you," Shelby returned. "So much."   
  
  
  


Scott touched Shelby's cheek, where was left a trail of dried black mascara. She'd obviously been crying. "You were crying..?" he asked, brushing a stray piece of hair from her face.. 

"You don't know how much it killed me to know that you weren't coming. I love you so much."

"I love you, right back at you, now and forever. I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere.."  
  
  
  


--------------------------------------  
  
  
  


And everyone lives happily ever after.. Well, sort of.   
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

I'll continue this epic (lol) in the sequel, which will be called A Place with Harmony. I don't know when I'll get around to writing it, with school starting and all, but you can expect it sometime soon, I imagine. But it is in the works. Thanks for reading this endless epic, y'all! Hopefully y'all enjoyed it! Thanks!


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